Honestly, some mornings you just want to drink your coffee and find a few words without feeling like you’re back in a high school geography final. Today is one of those days where the New York Times Strands puzzle feels like a gentle breeze, provided you know where to look. If you’ve been staring at the grid for the June 6 puzzle (Game #95) and seeing nothing but a soup of letters, don't sweat it. You're definitely not alone.
The theme for the June 6 puzzle is "Tidal treasures." It's a pretty straightforward hint, but "treasures" can be a bit subjective. Are we talking pirate gold? Sunken ships? Or just the stuff you find stuck in the sand after the tide goes out? Well, mostly the latter. If you've ever spent a summer afternoon wandering along the shoreline with a bucket, you’ve basically already solved this in your head.
NYT Strands Hints June 6: Getting Started
The first thing to realize is that "tidal" specifically points to the ocean. If you start looking for things like "fish" or "waves," you're going to get stuck pretty fast. Think smaller. Think about the random objects that wash up and catch the light.
If you want a tiny nudge without the full answer, look for words related to things that are old, worn down by water, or left behind by the sea.
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The Spangram: The Big Picture
The spangram is always the trickiest part because it has to touch two opposite sides of the board. For the June 6 puzzle, the spangram is BEACHCOMBING.
It’s a long one. It stretches across the grid and perfectly summarizes the activity of looking for those little "tidal treasures" mentioned in the theme. Finding this first usually makes the rest of the board fall into place like a set of dominos.
The Full Word List for June 6
Sometimes you just need to know what you’re missing so you can move on with your life. Here are the six theme words (plus the spangram) that make up the June 6 Strands board:
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- SHELL: The absolute classic. You can’t go to a beach without finding these.
- FOSSIL: A bit rarer than a shell, but definitely a treasure.
- STONE: Specifically those smooth, water-worn pebbles that look great until they dry off.
- GLASS: Seaglass is the holy grail for many beachcombers.
- DRIFTWOOD: The bigger, bleached-out wood that looks like sculpture.
- BOTTLE: Think "message in a bottle" vibes, or just old glass.
The word GLASS is often one of the easiest to spot early on, and it usually sits near the top of the grid. Once you find that, STONE and FOSSIL are usually lurking nearby.
Strategy for Future Strands Puzzles
Strands is still in that weird "beta" phase where the difficulty spikes can be unpredictable. One day it’s "Things in a Kitchen" and the next it's "Obscure 18th-century Poets."
When you get stuck, remember that you can earn hints by finding "non-theme" words. Any word four letters or longer that isn't on the official list counts toward your hint meter. If you find three of these, the game will highlight the letters of a theme word for you. It’s a literal lifesaver on the days when the theme is something like "Fine Print" (which was a nightmare for everyone involved).
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One little trick I've found? Look at the corners. Often, the theme words start or end in a corner, making them easier to trace than the words buried in the middle of the scramble. Also, don't forget that words can go backwards, upwards, and zigzag in ways that would make a traditional word search cry.
Actionable Steps for Your Daily Streak
If you're trying to keep that daily streak alive, here’s how to handle the rest of your week:
- Solve the Spangram Early: If you can visualize the "span" of the theme, the remaining empty spaces on the board become much easier to manage.
- Use the Hint Meter: Don't be too proud to use hints. If you find a bunch of random words like "FAST" or "TIDE" that aren't part of the theme, use them to charge up your lightbulb.
- Check the Theme Pun: NYT loves a pun. If the theme is "String's Attached," they aren't talking about contracts—they're probably talking about yo-yos or puppets.
The June 6 puzzle is a great example of a theme that is cohesive and fair. It doesn't require a PhD in marine biology, just a memory of what it’s like to find a cool rock by the water.
Now that you've cleared the board, you can get back to your morning without that nagging feeling of an unfinished puzzle. Tomorrow's grid will likely be a whole different beast, so enjoy the "tidal treasures" while they're here.