Listed below are the solutions for the NYT Strands puzzle #288 at present, launched on December 16th, 2024, and a few hints that will help you clear up them.
The New York Instances are identified for the big selection of video games they publish for readers to finish on the day by day. They’d additionally printed 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 presently in beta. On this recreation, there’s a theme of phrases on a board and it’s good to discover the theme associated phrases.
After getting discovered a theme associated phrase, it’ll keep stuffed in blue and to create these phrases, you will have to pull 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’s going to contact two reverse sides of the board and could also be two phrases.
After getting discovered the spangram phrase, it’ll keep highlighted in yellow.
An instance of a spangram is FRUIT, and the opposite themed phrases can be PEAR, BANANA and APPLE.

If you’re struggling to seek out any phrases referring to the theme, you possibly can attempt to discover different phrases on the board, which won’t keep highlighted, however will assist you to get hints. You have to to seek out three non-theme phrases to get a touch.
Strands 287 Hints Right this moment (December 16th, 2024)
Today’s theme or trace for the puzzle is, “CROSSED WORDS” and there are seven theme phrases to be discovered.

Extra hints that will help you clear up the Strands puzzle launched at present is:
- One phrase for the Spangram at present.
- A phrase mixing the sounds and mixing the meanings of two others.
Strands 288 Spangram Reply Right this moment (December 16th, 2024)
With each puzzle, there’s a spangram, which helps describe the theme. The spangram for the puzzle launched on December 16th is:
PORTMANTEAUX
The phrase begins on the prime and ends on the backside of the grid.
The precise location of the Spangram phrase could be seen beneath:

Strands 288 Resolution Right this moment (December 16th, 2024)
Listed below are all the different themed phrases for the Stands 288 puzzle:
- ZORSE
- ATHLEISURE
- SMOG
- SPORK
- BRUNCH
- ANKLET

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