Today’s hints for NYT Strands are straightforward if you have a touch of toughness.

Strands, the New York Times‘ elegant word-finding game, puts players to the test with a fresh take on the classic word search. Words can be constructed from adjacent letters — up, down, sideways, or diagonal, and they can also alter their direction, forming distinctive shapes and forms. Each letter in the grid contributes to a solution. There’s a unifying theme among all answers, coupled with the “spangram,” a unique word or phrase that represents the day’s theme and extends across the entire grid either horizontally or vertically.

By presenting a cryptic hint and omitting the word list, Strands offers a game that requires a bit more time to complete than its other offerings, such as Wordle and Connections.

If you find yourself at a standstill or lack 10 or more minutes to tackle today’s puzzle, we have all the NYT Strands hints for this puzzle to assist you in proceeding at your preferred pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: True grit

The terms relate to a coarse material.

Today’s NYT Strands theme clearly defined

These terms characterize a serrated material.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today’s NYT Strands spangram is in a horizontal layout.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today’s spangram is Sand Paper.

NYT Strands word list for February 20

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