Listed below are the solutions for the NYT Strands puzzle #669 as we speak, launched on January 1st, 2026, and a few hints that can assist you remedy them.
The New York Occasions are identified for the big selection of video games they publish for readers to finish on the day by day. That they had additionally revealed the viral phrase recreation, Wordle, in 2022, so as to add to their assortment.
A brand new recreation has been launched by the paper, known as Strands, which is at present in beta. On this recreation, there’s a theme of phrases on a board and it’s essential discover the theme associated phrases.
After you have discovered a theme associated phrase, it should keep stuffed in blue and to create these phrases, you will want to tug or sort the letters. The entire letters on the board are used to make up phrases for the theme and the letters don’t overlap into different phrases.

There may be additionally a “spangram” which is a phrase on the board that describes the theme of the puzzle for the day. It is going to contact two reverse sides of the board and could also be two phrases.
After you have discovered the spangram phrase, it should keep highlighted in yellow.
An instance of a spangram is FRUIT, and the opposite themed phrases can be PEAR, BANANA and APPLE.

In case you are struggling to seek out any phrases referring to the theme, you possibly can try to discover different phrases on the board, which won’t keep highlighted, however will allow you to to get hints. You have to to seek out three non-theme phrases to get a touch.
Strands 669 Hints Today (January 1st, 2026)
Today’s theme or trace for the puzzle is, “NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE” and there are eight theme phrases to be discovered.

Extra hints that can assist you remedy the Strands puzzle launched as we speak is:
- One phrase within the Spangram as we speak.
- There are six letters within the Spangram phrases as we speak.
- Caffeine.
Strands 669 Spangram Reply Today (January 1st, 2026)
With each puzzle, there’s a spangram, which helps describe the theme. The spangram for the puzzle launched on January 1st is:
COFFEE
The phrase begins on the left and ends on the suitable facet of the grid.
The precise location of the Spangram phrase could be seen under:

Strands 669 Resolution Today (1/1/2026)
Listed below are the entire different themed phrases for the Stands 669 puzzle:
- BOLD
- NUTTY
- BITTER
- STRONG
- AROMATIC
- VELVETY
- SMOOTH

Tell us within the feedback under which phrases you bought caught on.
