NYT Strands is weird. It’s not Wordle, where you're hunting for a specific five-letter ghost in the machine, and it’s definitely not a standard word search where you can just glaze over the grid until a word pops out. No, Strands for today is doing that thing again where it hides the theme right in plain sight, but wraps it in enough linguistic layers to make you want to toss your phone across the room. If you’re staring at the January 17 grid wondering why "CUSTARD" isn't working even though it's clearly there, you’re in the right place.
Let’s get into the weeds.
The Theme for Today’s Strands
The hint for today is "Sweet Treats." Vague, right? Honestly, NYT loves these broad categories because they can shove almost anything into the grid. It’s a classic misdirection. When you see "Sweet Treats," your brain immediately goes to cookies or cake. But wait. Look closer at the letter clusters. The difficulty today isn’t the words themselves; it’s how they bend. Strands allows for those "snake" movements—diagonal, vertical, horizontal—all in one word.
If you're stuck on the Spangram, think bigger. It isn't just a dessert. It’s a specific type of dessert.
Why the Spangram is Tricky
Today’s Spangram is PASTRY SHOP.
It touches both the left and right sides of the grid. If you haven't found it yet, look for the 'P' near the middle-left and trace it toward the 'Y' and 'S'. It cuts right through the heart of the board. Finding this first is usually a death sentence for the rest of the puzzle because it uses up so many high-value letters, but today, it actually clears the path. It separates the "fluff" words from the meaty ones.
Breaking Down the Grid
You've probably seen ECLAIR already. It’s sitting there, mocking you. But what about the others?
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The developers at NYT, specifically the team led by Tracy Bennett (who often oversees these digital word games), have a tendency to include words that feel like they belong but are actually "hint" fodder. If you find CAKE, the game will tell you it's a valid word but not a theme word. It gives you a hint point. Collect three, and the game highlights one of the actual answers for you.
Don't be afraid to use hints. Seriously. There is no leaderboard. There is no shame.
- DANISH: Look for the 'D' in the upper quadrant. It curves like a horseshoe.
- TURNOVER: This one is long. It uses the 'V' which is a rare letter in this specific grid, making it easier to spot if you focus on the outliers.
- CANNOLI: This is the one that trips people up because of the double 'N'.
- CROISSANT: It’s the longest non-Spangram word today. If you're missing letters in the bottom half, it's probably this buttery beast.
The Mechanics of the "Strands" Addiction
Why are we all doing this at 8:00 AM?
Psychologically, Strands taps into a different part of the brain than the Crossword. It’s about spatial awareness. You aren't just retrieving a definition from your internal lexicon; you’re mapping a path. Dr. Antonia Thomas, a researcher who has looked into the cognitive effects of word puzzles, suggests that these types of "path-finding" games improve executive function because they require you to hold multiple potential patterns in your head at once.
Basically, you’re giving your prefrontal cortex a workout while you look for the word TART.
Common Pitfalls for January 17
The biggest mistake today is ignoring the edges.
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Usually, we focus on the center of the grid because it has the most connections. But in the Strands for today, the corners are vital. If you leave a lone 'Z' or 'X' in a corner, you're fine—they probably aren't there—but today there's an 'S' and a 'T' tucked away that belong to STRUDEL.
Also, watch out for the "almost" words. BROWNIE looks like it might be there, but the 'W' is missing. The NYT editors love to tease you with 80% of a word just to see if you’ll waste time trying to force it.
How to Get Better at Strands
If you want to stop relying on guides like this, you have to change how you look at the board.
Stop reading the letters like a book. Try looking at the grid out of the corner of your eye. It sounds crazy, but peripheral vision is better at picking up shapes and patterns than direct focus, which tends to get "stuck" on individual characters.
Another pro tip: Look for the suffixes. If you see an -ING, -ED, or -ION, find the 'I' or 'E' and work backward. Today, since the theme is pastries, look for the -S or -IE endings.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think the Spangram has to be a single word. It doesn't.
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It can be a phrase. PASTRY SHOP is two words, but in Strands, it's one continuous line of letters. This is the "Aha!" moment most new players miss. They’re looking for a massive 10-letter word when they should be looking for a two-word combo that describes the entire category.
Action Steps for Your Daily Puzzle Habit
- Find the Spangram first. It defines the boundaries. Even if you can't solve it, identify the letters that look like they could form a category title.
- Burn the junk words. If you see a word that isn't part of the theme, submit it anyway. Those hints are the only currency you have.
- Rotate your phone. Sometimes seeing the letters from a 90-degree angle breaks the mental block.
- Check the corners. If a letter is only connected to two other letters, it must be the start or end of a word. Work from there.
Tomorrow's puzzle will likely be different, shifting from food to maybe "Weather Patterns" or "Types of Shoes." The game resets at midnight local time. If you finished today's in under five minutes, you're in the top tier of players. If it took you an hour and three hints, you're still ahead of everyone who didn't even try.
Keep the streak alive. The grid is waiting.
Current Theme Summary:
The theme "Sweet Treats" hides specific bakery items. Focus on the 'V' and 'X' placements to find the more complex shapes like TURNOVER and CROISSANT. The Spangram PASTRY SHOP acts as the anchor for the entire January 17 session.
Pro Tip: If you are still missing one word and the grid looks like a mess, look for MACARON. It’s small, tight, and often hidden in the gaps left by the larger words.
Final Word Checklist:
- ECLAIR
- DANISH
- TURNOVER
- CANNOLI
- CROISSANT
- STRUDEL
- TART
- PASTRY SHOP (Spangram)
Clear the board and get ready for the next one.