Today’s Strands puzzle is a reasonably tough one, so read on for my hints below – or the answers if you get really stuck.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.

Your Strands expert

Marc McLaren
Your Strands expert

Marc McLaren

NYT Strands today (game #162) – hint #1 – today’s theme

What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?

Today’s NYT Strands theme is… Everybody cut footloose!

NYT Strands today (game #162) – hint #2 – clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

  • SPIRE
  • SPIKE
  • LOVE
  • LOVED
  • LOSS
  • MORE

NYT Strands today (game #162) – hint #3 – spangram

What is a hint for today’s spangram?

Get your moves on

NYT Strands today (game #162) – hint #4 – spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today’s spangram touches?

First: top, 5th column

Last: bottom, 2nd column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #162) – the answers

NYT Strands answers for game 162 on a blue background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today’s Strands, game #162, are…

  • FLOSS
  • TWERK
  • MOONWALK
  • VOGUE
  • HUSTLE
  • PIROUETTE
  • SPANGRAM: DANCEMOVES

  • My rating: Moderate
  • My score: 2 hints

Expecting me to solve a puzzle about dance moves is like asking my labrador retriever to perform open-heart surgery. I’m so far out of my comfort zone I might as well be on another planet. That I still managed to find all of the answers points to this one being moderately difficult, rather than outright hard.

The key is in the spangram, because once you knew the theme was DANCEMOVES – which the theme clue of ‘Everybody cut footloose!’ might have given away, but which a couple of answers probably will have done anyway – then that spangram will have stood out. MOONWALK is also a relatively obvious one that takes up a lot of space, and though I needed a couple of hints, I was able to get most by trial and error. I have no idea what the FLOSS is, though.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.


Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Sunday 11 August, game #161)

  • DECK
  • PATIO
  • VERANDA
  • BALCONY
  • SUNROOM
  • TERRACE
  • SPANGRAM: BONUSSPACES

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT’s new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It’s now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT’s games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I’ve got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you’re struggling to beat it each day.

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