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508+ past NYT Strands puzzles with real spangrams, hints, and answers. The free archive for when you've finished today's.
Today's NYT Strands is free on nytimes.com — past puzzles are otherwise locked behind the NYT Games subscription. Strands Unlimited is an independent fan archive of every past Strands puzzle, with the spangram, theme words, and progressive hints for any date. Finished today's and want more? You're in the right place.
NYT Strands is the daily word puzzle from The New York Times Games team. Each puzzle hides a set of theme words and one spangram on a 6×8 grid of 48 letters. Launched in March 2024, it releases daily at midnight Eastern. Read the full guide →
Stuck on today's NYT Strands? See progressive hints, the spangram, and the full answer on /strands-today. For any past date, browse 508+ NYT Strands answers →
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Look for the word that touches two opposite edges and names the theme.
Letters connect in any direction and words can curve and zigzag.
Every letter on the 6×8 grid is used exactly once when the puzzle is solved.
Find three non-theme words to unlock one hint that highlights a theme word.
A spangram is the one word or short phrase in each NYT Strands puzzle that names the theme and touches two opposite edges of the 6×8 grid. It can begin or end anywhere along those edges — top to bottom or left to right — not just at the corners. Find the spangram and the rest of the theme words snap into focus.
Three reasons people use this archive after finishing today's NYT Strands.
Replay any date going back to launch. No daily limit, no waiting for a new puzzle to drop.
Every puzzle page shows the theme, spangram length, full spangram, and theme words behind a spoiler toggle. Peek at one hint without spoiling the rest.
No account, no paywall, no ads above the fold. Mobile-first web app — add to home screen for one-tap play.
Strands Unlimited is an independent fan project — not affiliated with The New York Times Company — that hosts a free archive of past NYT Strands puzzles by date. Today's puzzle is free on nytimes.com/games/strands; what the NYT Games subscription unlocks is the archive of past Strands, Wordle, and Connections puzzles. The archive is what we mirror so you can replay any date free.
Each puzzle in the archive keeps its theme, spangram, and theme word list intact. Every game page has a progressive-reveal hint block (theme → spangram length → first letter → full spangram → every theme word) so you can peek at one hint without spoiling the rest, and a playable grid in case you want to actually solve it instead of just checking your work.
508+ puzzles in the archive today, with new dates added as they become available. Free, no signup, mobile-first. If you finished today's Strands and want more, this is the archive you were looking for.
An honest breakdown of what each side gives you and where this archive fits in.
| Feature | NYT Strands | Strands Unlimited |
|---|---|---|
| Today's daily puzzle | Free on nytimes.com | Free |
| Past puzzle archive | NYT Games subscription ($50/year) | Free — 508+ past puzzles |
| Hints & answers | NYT Games subscription | Free, behind a spoiler toggle on every puzzle |
| Account / signup | Required for subscription | None |
| Works on restricted networks | Depends on the network | Yes — unblocked |
| Official NYT game | Yes — by The New York Times | No — unofficial archive |
NYT Strands is an original New York Times game. Strands Unlimited is not affiliated with The New York Times — we host past Strands puzzles so you can replay them for free.
Yes. The daily NYT Strands puzzle is free on nytimes.com/games/strands without a subscription. The NYT Games subscription unlocks the past-puzzle archives for Strands, Wordle, and Connections plus extras like hints and Wordle Bot. Strands Unlimited is an independent fan archive that hosts past Strands puzzles free so you can replay any date.
No. NYT Strands is the official daily word puzzle from The New York Times, edited by Tracy Bennett and released at midnight Eastern on nytimes.com/games/strands. Strands Unlimited is an independent fan project — not affiliated with The New York Times Company — that hosts a free archive of past Strands puzzles. Play today's puzzle on NYT; replay past puzzles here.
Today's NYT Strands hints, spangram, and full answer live on /strands-today. Every reveal is hidden behind a spoiler toggle so you can peek at one hint without ruining the rest. Today's puzzle is "E-I-E-I-O" with 7 theme words on a 6×8 grid.
A spangram is the one word or short phrase in each NYT Strands puzzle that names the theme and touches two opposite edges of the 6×8 grid — top-to-bottom or left-to-right. It can begin or end anywhere along those edges, not just at the corners. Spangrams highlight in yellow; regular theme words highlight in blue.
Find three valid 4+ letter English words that are not on the theme list to earn one hint. Cashing a hint highlights the letters of one unsolved theme word — you still trace the path yourself.
Drag or tap across adjacent letters (orthogonal or diagonal) to form a word. Words can change direction mid-word, so paths curve and zigzag across the 6×8 grid. Every one of the 48 letters on the board is used exactly once — find every theme word plus the spangram to finish.
508+ past Strands puzzles, with new dates added as they become available. Each puzzle keeps its theme, spangram, and theme word list intact so you can replay any date. No account, no signup, no daily limit.
Yes. Strands Unlimited is a mobile-first web app — it works in any iOS or Android browser with no install required, and you can add it to your home screen for one-tap access.
508+ past Strands puzzles, free to replay anytime. Pick today's, jump to the full answer archive, or browse by month.