Honestly, if you opened the NYT Strands board this morning and immediately started looking for words like "snow," "ice," or "winter," you are definitely not alone. I did the exact same thing. The theme "You need to chill" is a classic bit of New York Times misdirection. It sounds like a command to relax or a nod to the January weather, but it’s actually way more literal.
We are talking about the stuff sitting in the back of your freezer.
Finding Today's Spangram
The heart of today's puzzle is the spangram, and it's a long one. FROZEN FOOD is the word you're looking for. It snakes across the grid, starting with an 'F' on the right side and winding its way backward. It’s a ten-letter monster that effectively splits the board in half.
Once you find "FOOD," the rest of the items on your grocery list start to pop out. If you’re stuck, look for the double 'Z'—that’s always a dead giveaway in these puzzles.
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The Full Word List for January 13
Today's grid is filled with a mix of dinner staples and sugary treats. Here is what you need to find to clear the board:
- PIZZA (Look for those Zs!)
- WAFFLES (Usually found in the top right)
- VEGETABLES (The healthy corner of the freezer)
- POPSICLES (Bottom left)
- SHERBET (Bottom right)
Interestingly, the word "SHERBET" is causing a bit of a stir in the comments sections today. A lot of people (myself included, sometimes) want to spell it "sherbert" with an extra 'R.' But the puzzle sticks to the traditional spelling. If you were scratching your head wondering why your word wasn't submitting, that extra 'R' is probably the culprit.
Why This Puzzle is Tricky
The layout today is a bit of a nightmare if you usually scan left-to-right. A lot of the words, including the spangram, require you to track backward or vertically in ways that feel counterintuitive.
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For example, finding WAFFLES in the upper right feels easy enough, but connecting VEGETABLES requires a long, winding path through the top-left quadrant. It’s one of those days where the theme words are common, but the geometry of the grid is the real enemy.
Strategy for the Win
If you’re still struggling to see the patterns, try to ignore the theme for a second. Just hunt for high-value letters. Seeing a 'V' or a 'Z' is a huge hint. In a grid this size, a 'V' is almost certainly the start of VEGETABLES.
Also, don't be afraid to spam non-theme words. Finding three "junk" words like "GOOD" or "ABLE" will give you a hint. Today’s hints are actually very helpful because they highlight the specific letters of the theme words, which helps you visualize those weird zigzagging paths.
What to Do Next
- Check your spelling on SHERBET—don't add that extra 'R'!
- Trace the FROZEN FOOD spangram from right to left to open up the middle of the board.
- Look for PIZZA early to clear out the clustered letters in the center.
Once you’ve cleared the January 13 board, you might want to actually go check your freezer. Writing about waffles and pizza for twenty minutes has a way of making the "You need to chill" theme feel like a dinner suggestion.