If you’re looking for Strands hints and answers for Saturday, November 2, 2024, read on – I’ll be sharing some clues, tips, and finally solving the puzzle with the “Good on Paper” theme.
For an easy way to come back to our Strands tips every day, bookmark this page. You can also find our previous hints there too, in case you want to know what you missed in the previous puzzle.
Below, I’ll give you some indirect hints about today’s Strands answers. At the bottom of the page, I’ll reveal the spangogram and the answers. Scroll slowly and take only the hints you need!
Credit: Branches/The New York Times
A hint for the spangram in today’s Strands puzzle
Two words for the kind of things you might need to buy for school or for your office at work.
Hint for the keywords in today’s Strands puzzle
Things you can use to modify paper in some way, whether that’s to cut it, draw on it, attach it to other papers, etc.
Beware: Follow spoilers for the Strands mystery today!
We’re about to reveal the answers to the Strands mystery today.
What is the spangram found in the Strands today?
Today’s spangram is OFFICESUPPLIES.
What are the keywords in today’s threads?
Today’s keywords are: stapler, printer, scissors, pencils, ruler.
Here’s what the board looks like when you solve the puzzle:
Credit: Branches/The New York Times
How did you solve today’s clues?
“Good on paper” usually refers to something that sounds good in theory, but doesn’t work in practice – but I have a feeling it’s not so metaphorical today. What are some things that are literally good on paper? My mind immediately goes to foods like burgers and fries, which are often served in a parchment-lined basket.
Oh, there’s the word scissors at the bottom left, and it’s a big hit. 🔵 Scissors are already good at cutting paper, so we might look for other things that interact with paper, such as pens, pencils, etc.
Look at that, the pencils are just to the right. 🔵
RULER on top of that. 🔵
I see the words CLIP and CLIPS, but they are not objective words.
I can almost make ERASER, but I’m just getting ERASURE, and it’s not quite the same thing.
Oh, I see the word supplies, and it’s definitely part of the spangogram.
The printer is in the upper right corner. 🔵
Here it is: office supplies. 🟡This is a twisted spangram!
Finally, a stapler. 🔵
Strings No. 244 “Good on paper” 🔵🔵🔵🔵 🟡🔵 How to Play Strings
You can find Strands on the New York Times website and in the NYT Games app.
When you start playing, you’ll see a game board with a variety of letters, surrounded by a clue that gives a hint about the board’s theme – this will be a phrase, such as “better with age.” Your task is to find the words hidden within the board that reflect the theme of the puzzle.
Crossword puzzles with word search
The most important word to find is “spangram,” a word that most clearly states the theme of the puzzle. (For example, the extension chart for a “Better with Age”-themed puzzle is FERMENTED, which describes products that, you guessed it, get better with age.) The extension chart will span the entire game board, either from left to right or from Top to bottom (hence the name). When you find the extension chart, it will be highlighted in yellow. Solving the extension diagram usually makes it easier to complete the rest of the puzzle.
In Strands, words can move in any direction (up, down, left, right, and diagonal), and you will use each letter only once. There is only one correct solution. When you correctly identify one of the puzzle words (for example, KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI), it will be highlighted in blue.
If you’re having trouble solving the puzzle, you can submit any unrelated words you see (as long as they’re four letters or more) to get credit for one hint. If you submit three words that are not related to the topic, the “Hint” button will be clickable; If you click on it, all the letters in one of the words of the topic will be highlighted for you. You still have to connect these special letters in the correct order to form a keyword. If there is already a hint on the board and you use another hint before solving that word, the letter order of that word will be revealed.
How to win Strands
Unlike Connections and Word, you cannot fail Strands. When you submit guesses, you will either select the answer correctly, get credit for a hint, or the text will vibrate back and forth, indicating that the word you submitted is too short or invalid. You can never run out of guesses, and there is no time limit.
You will win when you have used all the letters on the board correctly, which means you have identified the extension chart and all the keywords. Like other NYT games, when you solve a puzzle, you’ll see a shareable card indicating your performance that day: blue dots 🔵 indicate the keywords you found, yellow dots 🟡 indicate the time you found the spangogram, and lightbulbs 💡 indicate the words you received. A hint about him.
