NYT Strands puzzle: Hints, Spangram and answers for October 17 here

Over the years, The New York Times has introduced highly popular word games like Connections and Wordle that are quite addictive. Another famous one from it is Strands. The game includes finding themed words which are linked through a common theme. The game is played on a six-to-eight letter grid. Each puzzle has a ‘Spangram’ which is a common theme that relates to all the words of the day.

NYT Strands: How to play it?

The motive of the game is to find four or more words that relate to the Spangram, i.e. the common theme of the day. Once found, the Spangram appears in yellow. For every three non-theme words, a hint is also given. The hint can lead people to find the other missing words.

NYT Strands: Themes and hints for October 17 puzzle

The theme for today’s Strands is about keeping the walkways clear avoiding fall. The given theme was the word ‘Gait Keeping’ and the complete set of words today revolved around the theme of walking sideways carefully to avoid falling.

Answers for today’s game are:

Caper

Cavort

Traipse

Prance

Scuttle

Galumph

The set of words revolves around the theme of walking carefully and not falling. They are providing different perspectives on the theme. Together, these words paint a picture of walking sideways carefully through jumping or moving precisely.

Spangram for today

The centerpiece of the puzzle is the Spangram which decides the course of all the missing words. You can assume it to be the backbone of the puzzle. Today’s Spangram is “Silly Walks”.

People uncovered today’s Spangram by finding the first two alphabets S and I exactly in the middle of the first line and then carefully treading downwards.

The theme for today was perfect for the Spangram and the solution was able to capture the essence of today’s theme very well. All the words are different types of walks that might lead to one falling and getting hurt. While people think the usual number of words is supposed to be eight, they can vary on a daily basis.

The Strands puzzle changes after midnight. So, do not fret if you could not guess today’s answers. Just practise and hone your skills.