NYT Looking for help with today’s Strands puzzle? You’re in the right place. Below, you’ll find gentle clues, some tips to guide you toward the solution, and finally the full set of answers for the June 28 puzzle with the theme: “… not included.”
Bookmark this page if you want to check back for Strands hints every day. You can also explore past puzzles and see what you may have missed.
Scroll carefully—hints come first, and the full answers are revealed farther down.
Hint for Today’s Spangram
A familiar two-word phrase you’ve probably heard at the end of commercials or infomercials, especially for toys or gadgets. It means you’ll need to supply something extra.
Hint for Today’s Theme Words
Think electric items—things that don’t work on their own.
Spoiler Warning: Full Answers Below!
Today’s Spangram
The spangram for June 28 is:
BATTERIES REQUIRED 🟡
Today’s Theme Words
The theme items are all powered by batteries:
- CAMERA
- TOYS
- CLOCK
- FLASHLIGHT
- REMOTE
How the Puzzle Solves
The theme instantly brought to mind the classic line, “batteries not included,” from old toy commercials.
- I spotted BATTERIES in the lower left—turned out to be part of the spangram, BATTERIESREQUIRED.
- Next, I found TOYS in the upper right. 🔵
- Just to the left sat CAMERA. 🔵
- Along the bottom, CLOCK appeared. 🔵
- After testing LIGHT and LIGHTS, I realized it was actually FLASHLIGHT. 🔵
- Finally, REMOTE wrapped up the puzzle. 🔵
How to Play Strands
Strands is a daily word game available on the New York Times website and in the NYT Games app.
- Each puzzle begins with a letter grid and a theme clue, like “Better with age.”
- The challenge is to uncover words hidden in the grid that fit the theme.
- The most important find is the spangram—a word or phrase spanning the board that directly captures the theme. (For example: FERMENTED for “Better with age.”)
- Theme words are highlighted in blue, and the spangram in yellow. Words can connect in any direction—up, down, diagonal—but each letter is used only once.
Tips for Solving
- Submitting valid non-theme words (4+ letters) builds hints. Three correct filler words = one hint.
- Hints reveal the letters of a theme word, but you’ll still need to connect them in order.
- No time limits, no failed attempts—you win once all theme words and the spangram are solved.
Winning Strands
Once complete, you’ll get a shareable card with:
- 🔵 Blue dots for theme words found
- 🟡 A yellow dot for the spangram
- 💡 A lightbulb if you used hints
It’s the perfect mix of crossword and word search—challenging but low-stress.
