NYT Strands Puzzle: Today’s Clues and Answers
January 2, 2026
Looking for today's NYT Strands puzzle? A new puzzle is released daily at midnight for your time zone, meaning some players are always solving "today’s" game while others are working on "yesterday’s." If you want to find Friday’s puzzle instead, click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, January 2 (game #670).
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the latest word game from The New York Times, following popular titles like Wordle, Spelling Bee, and Connections. It’s a fun yet challenging game that tests your vocabulary and deduction skills. To help you conquer today’s puzzle, here are some hints and the solution.
Today's NYT Strands (Game #671) — Hints
Hint #1 – The Theme
What is the theme of today’s game?
Answer: "I’ve never seen that before!"
Hint #2 – Play Any of These Words
Use these words to unlock hints in-game:
- WINER
- RIVER
- GROOVE
- ANKLES
- WINE
- FREE
Hint #3 – The Spangram Letters
How many letters are in the spangram today?
Answer: 14 letters
Hint #4 – Spangram Position
Which sides of the board does today’s spangram touch?
- Left side, 1st row
- Right side, 7th row
Today's Answers (Game #671)
The correct solutions for today’s Strands puzzle are:
Words:
- INVENTIVE
- SEMINAL
- FRESH
- ORIGINAL
- NOVELS
Spangram:
BREAKNEWGROUND
Final Thoughts
My rating for today’s puzzle: Hard
My score: Perfect
If you're curious about British quiz shows, I recommend listening to Just A Minute, a BBC radio comedy panel game where participants speak on a subject for 60 seconds without deviation or hesitation. For example, they might talk about roller-skating otters or banana-shaped helicopters — but not inventiveness or novelty!
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