Today's NYT 'Strands' challenge: Cryptic clues, Spangram, and solutions for Saturday, December 21st's puzzle.
Returning once more, fellow Strand enthusiasts, I'm here to lead you to triumph, just in time for the festive season's kickoff! This holiday season marks the debut of the New York Times' fresh word game challenge, and I'm hoping for a themed puzzle on Christmas day itself. The possibilities are endless with themes such as popular Christmas tunes, iconic Christmas films, and beloved holiday characters.
The latest addition to the New York Times' puzzle collection is called Strands. It's a thrilling twist on the classic word search game where we are given a daily theme and required to uncover all the appropriate words on the grid. The twist? Each grid features a spangram that sprawls across two sides, offering additional insight into the day's theme. One of these words is the spangram, which intertwines from one side to the other.
Spoiler warning:
Today’s Strands Hints
Today’s Theme: Belief and faith
Hint #1: Holy institutions
Hint #2: Various religious sects represented
To help you uncover all the words, below are the first two letters of each word, including the spangram.
- MO
- TA
- TE
- AB
- MO

What Are Today’s Strands Answers?
The spangram for today is: SACREDSPACES
Here's the complete list of words:
- MOSQUE
- TABERNACLE
- TEMPLE
- ABBEY
- MONASTERY
Today’s Strands Breakdown
At first, this one was challenging, but eventually, I discovered MONASTERY and then ABBEY. From there, I was able to discern the likely location of the spangram, and by backward engineering, I found SPACES. Then, SACRED, followed by MOSQUE and TEMPLE. Finally, I unearthed TABERNACLE – what a trial but the only word left in the list!
How did you fare in this week's Strands challenge? Share your thoughts on Twitter and Facebook.
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- The New York Times' latest word game, Strands, requires players to uncover words based on a daily theme on December 21st, which happens to be a Saturday, as mentioned in the New York Times' Strands section.
- In today's Strands, the theme revolves around 'belief and faith', with hints provided such as 'holy institutions' and 'various religious sects represented'.
- If you're a Strands enthusiast looking for answers, you might find relief in knowing that the spangram for today is "SACREDSPACES", intertwined across the grid.
- Searching for the Strands answers, you will discover words like 'mosque', 'tabernacle', 'temple', 'abbey', and 'monastery', all neatly hidden within the spangram.
- After a week of Strands challenges, you can share your thoughts and experiences with other players on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, or visit the author's blog for valuable insights into different games and entertainment topics.