NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Sunday, April 14 (game #42)

Have you been hooked by Strands yet? It’s fast becoming a must-play for me, (almost) as essential as getting my daily Wordle fix.

Presumably, if you’re reading this page then you are at least vaguely interested in it – so read on for some hints for today’s game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #42) – hint #1 – today’s theme

What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?

• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… Join the club!

NYT Strands today (game #42) – hint #2 – clue words

What are some good clue words today?

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• MATE

• MATES

• SMITH

• WITH

• RULE

• PICK

NYT Strands today (game #42) – hint #3 – spangram

What is a hint for today’s spangram?

• Yum!

NYT Strands today (game #42) – hint #4 – spangram position

Where does today’s spangram start and end?

• Start: left, 4th row

• End: right, 4th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #42) – the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today’s Strands, game #42, are…

BACON
MAYONNAISE
TOMATO
LETTUCE
PICKLE
TURKEY
SPANGRAM: SANDWICH

My rating: Moderate
My score: Perfect

Sandwiches are objectively the best food, so this one should have been right up my street. Unfortunately, I’ve never eaten a club sandwich, so found it slightly harder than some people might have done. Why? Well, the fact that I’m a vegetarian is probably the main reason, but to that I can add that a) mayonnaise is the devil’s condiment, b) the best sandwiches are simple, not stuffed with needless ingredients. Just give me mature cheddar with salted butter and freshly baked bread and I’m in heaven.

Anyway, for that reason I found it difficult to uncover all of the words until MAYONNAISE gave the board some structure, after which point it was easier to spot the remaining answers. Even then, it took me a while to see PICKLE; why would you put pickle in a sandwich that already has all of that in it? Madness.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Saturday 13 April, game #41)

QUEEN
RUSH
JOURNEY
HEART
OASIS
NIRVANA
POISON
SPANGRAM: ROCKBANDS

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT’s new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It’s currently in Beta and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I’ve got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you’re struggling to beat it each day.