When you’re on the lookout for hints and solutions for Strands for Friday, August 14, 2026, learn on—I’ll share some clues and ideas, and at last the answer to the puzzle with the theme “Found by chance.”
For a straightforward strategy to come again to our Strands hints each day, bookmark this page. You can too discover our previous hints there as effectively, in case you need to know what you missed in a earlier puzzle. (When you play Wordle or Connections, take a look at our hints for these video games, too.)
Under, I’ll provide you with some indirect hints at at this time’s Strands solutions. And farther down the web page, I’ll reveal the spangram and the solutions. Scroll slowly and take simply the hints you want!
Credit score: Strands/NYT
Trace for the spangram in at this time’s Strands puzzle
What somebody may get patents for.
Trace for the theme phrases in at this time’s Strands puzzle
Notable discoveries in tech, home goods, and medication.
BEWARE: Spoilers comply with for at this time’s Strands puzzle!
We’re about to offer away the solutions to at this time’s Strands puzzle.
What’s the spangram in at this time’s Strands?
In the present day’s spangram is INVENTIONS.
What are the theme phrases in at this time’s Strands?
The theme phrases at this time are PLASTIC, MICROWAVE, VELCRO, SLINKY, PENICILLIN.
Right here’s what the board seems to be like when the puzzle is solved:
Credit score: Strands/NYT
How I solved at this time’s Strands
I’ll search for glad accidents or innovations, I assume? The one one I can consider is chocolate chip cookies, which I don’t think is actually true.
SINK isn’t a theme phrase.
I see PENICILLIN within the backside proper, although, and it’s successful. 🔵
I guess the spangram can be one thing like INVENTED or INVENTIONS. Yep, there it’s, beginning on the high: INVENTIONS. 🟡
SLINKY is within the higher proper. 🔵
PLASTIC is within the higher left. 🔵
What do you suppose up to now?
MICROWAVE is under PLASTIC. 🔵
Lastly, VELCRO. 🔵
Strands #894 “Found by chance” 🔵🟡🔵🔵 🔵🔵
The way to play Strands
You will discover the Strands recreation on the New York Occasions web site and within the NYT Video games app.
If you begin taking part in, you’ll see a recreation board with an assortment of letters, flanked by a clue that provides a touch on the board’s theme—this can be a phrase, like “Higher with age.” Your job is to seek out the hidden phrases inside the board that mirror the puzzle’s theme.
A crossword crossed with a phrase search
A very powerful phrase to seek out is the “spangram,” a phrase that extra explicitly states the puzzle’s theme. (For instance, the spangram for the puzzle with the theme “Higher with age” is FERMENTED, which describes merchandise which might be, you guessed it, higher with age.) The spangram will span your entire recreation board, both from left to proper or high to backside (therefore the identify). If you discover the spangram, will probably be highlighted in yellow. Fixing the spangram normally makes the remainder of the puzzle a lot simpler to finish.
In Strands, phrases can journey any course (up, down, left, proper, and diagonal), and you’ll solely use every letter as soon as. There is just one appropriate resolution. If you appropriately establish one of many puzzle’s phrases (for instance, KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI), will probably be highlighted in blue.
In case you are struggling to unravel the puzzle, you may submit any non-theme phrases you see (so long as they’re 4 letters or extra) to obtain credit score towards a single trace. When you submit three non-theme phrases, the “Trace” button can be clickable; when you click on it, all the letters in one of many theme phrases can be highlighted for you. You’ll nonetheless must hyperlink these highlighted letters in the precise order to type one of many theme phrases. If there may be already a touch on the board and you utilize one other trace earlier than fixing for that phrase, that phrase’s letter order can be revealed.
The way to win Strands
Not like Connections and Wordle, you can not fail Strands. If you submit guesses, you’ll both appropriately establish a solution, obtain credit score towards a touch, or the textual content will shake backwards and forwards, indicating that the phrase you submitted is just too brief or not legitimate. You may’t run out of guesses, and there’s no time restrict.
You win whenever you’ve appropriately used all of the letters on the board, which means that you’ve got recognized the spangram and all the theme phrases. Like different NYT video games, upon fixing the puzzle, you will note a shareable card that signifies the way you carried out that day: blue dots 🔵 point out theme phrases you discovered, the yellow dot 🟡 signifies whenever you discovered the spangram, and a lightbulb 💡 signifies phrases that you simply acquired a touch for.
Not the day you are after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Strands.
