NYT Strands for today: clues, spangram, and solutions for Tuesday, May 20.

      Strands is a new daily puzzle from the New York Times that offers a more challenging version of the classic word search, requiring sharp observation skills to complete. Similar to Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword, Strands can be tough to tackle on certain days. It's perfectly fine to seek assistance if you're having difficulty. If you find yourself in need of answers for today’s Strands puzzle, you can refer to the completed puzzle below.

      How to play Strands

      In every Strands puzzle, your main objective is to identify the "theme words" hidden within a grid of letters. You can manipulate the letters by dragging or tapping to create words; just double-tap the last letter to confirm. When you discover a correct word, the letters will be marked in blue and will no longer be selectable.

      If you find a word that is not a theme word, it can still be useful! For every three non-theme words you uncover that are at least four letters long, you'll receive a hint — one of the letters in a theme word will be revealed, and you'll need to unscramble it.

      Every letter in the grid is used to form the theme words without any overlap. Each letter appears once and only once. Each puzzle contains one "spangram," a unique theme word (or words) that defines the puzzle’s theme and connects two opposite sides of the board. When the spangram is found, it will be highlighted in yellow.

      The aim is to complete the puzzle as quickly as possible without relying too heavily on hints.

      Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

      Today’s theme is “Oh, of course!” Here’s a helpful hint: use the correct utensil.

      Today’s Strands answers

      NYT

      Today’s spangram

      To assist you in deducing the theme and solving the remaining parts of the puzzle, we’ll start with the spangram:

      FINEDINING

      Today's Strands answers include:

      SALAD

      DESSERT

      ENTREE

      CHEESE

      SOUP

      APPETIZERS

      Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over five years and intends to continue. He covers a range of topics...

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