The New York Times released its Strands puzzle number 689 on January 21, themed around impolite behaviors. Players must find hidden words fitting the theme, including a spangram that spans the grid. Hints and full answers are available to assist those stuck on the daily challenge.
The New York Times' Strands puzzle, a popular word game similar to Connections and Wordle, challenges players to uncover themed words hidden in a grid. For puzzle #689 on January 21, the theme is "That's not very polite," with a clue described as "Bad behavior."
To unlock in-game hints, players can find any words of four letters or more. Examples provided include BATE, RATE, PATE, SATE, GATE, LOAD, GOLD, RATS, STAR, RUIN, RUINED, PURR, and SEAT. Every three such words reveal one theme word.
The non-spangram answers are BURP, GLOAT, STARE, POINT, SHOUT, TEASE, and INTERRUPT. These represent various rude actions. The spangram, DONTBERUDE, stretches across the board and is found starting from the D three letters to the right on the top row, winding downward.
Once all theme words are found, including the spangram, every letter in the grid is used. The number of theme words can vary, though earlier assumptions pegged it at eight. Strands rules are detailed in separate coverage, emphasizing the puzzle's daily format and thematic focus.
This puzzle joins other NYT games like the Mini Crossword and Connections, with dedicated hint pages available. Players seeking the latest solutions can check daily updates for Strands and related puzzles.