If you are stuck on today’s New York Times Strands puzzle, you aren’t alone. While the theme provides a clear direction, unscrambling the specific words can be a challenge. This guide provides the hints and answers you need to complete the grid for April 11 (Puzzle #769).
Today’s Theme and Hints
The theme for today’s puzzle is: “You’re putting me on.”
While that phrase might sound like a joke, it is actually a clever play on words. In the context of this puzzle, it refers to things you physically wear on your head.
- Theme Clue: Headgear 🧢
How to Use In-Game Hints
If you are struggling to find any words at all, remember that Strands has a built-in hint system. To trigger a hint, you must first find three words that are at least four letters long. These do not have to be part of the main theme; they can be any valid words you find on the board.
Examples of words that can be used to unlock hints include:
– FADE, REIN, PAGE, TOWEL, SOME, BRED, RODE, or BANE.
The Solution: Theme Words
To complete the puzzle, you must find all the specific headgear items hidden in the grid. Once you have found these, every letter on the board should be accounted for.
The non-spangram answers are:
– BERET
– DERBY
– SOMBRERO
– FEDORA
– TOQUE
– BEANIE
– BOWLER
The Spangram
The “spangram” is the word that connects one side of the puzzle to the other and describes the overall theme.
Today’s Spangram is: TOPGEAR ⚙️
Tip: If you are searching for it, look for the “T” located five letters down in the far-left vertical column, then follow the path across the board.
Summary: Today’s puzzle focuses on various types of headgear, requiring players to identify specific hats like the Fedora and Sombrero to reveal the spangram, TOPGEAR.
