The New York Times’ Strands puzzle for January 26th (#694) centers around the world of wine. Players must identify hidden words related to this theme, including a “spangram” – a long word stretching across the grid using every letter.
Puzzle Breakdown:
- Theme: Wine varietals and related phrases.
- Hints: The puzzle’s theme is “Grape expectations”, and a key clue is “Cheers!”.
- Strategy: Finding any four-letter words unlocks theme hints. Useful words include DALE, DEAL, LETS, BELT, LACE, LAME, CABLE, CLOT, BARD, NOTE, LEND, TENT, HARD, and FLAN.
Complete Solutions:
The puzzle’s non-spangram answers are:
- MALBEC
- ZINFANDEL
- MERLOT
- SHIRAZ
- CHARDONNAY
The spangram for today’s puzzle is BYTHEBOTTLE. It starts three rows from the left and extends downward, over, then upward to form a continuous path across the board.
Strands challenges players to find all theme-related words, with every letter on the grid being used once the puzzle is solved. The game provides in-game hints when three or more words are correctly identified, making it accessible for both casual and dedicated puzzle enthusiasts.
