Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Friday’s puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, August 22 (game #537).

Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc’s Wordle today page for the original viral word 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 #538) – hint #1 – today’s theme

What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?

• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… Rub it in, why don’t you?

NYT Strands today (game #538) – hint #2 – clue words

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

  • CLEAR
  • SLUM
  • VEST
  • MULE
  • STREAM
  • RIVET

NYT Strands today (game #538) – hint #3 – spangram letters

How many letters are in today’s spangram?

• Spangram has 12 letters

NYT Strands today (game #538) – hint #4 – spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today’s spangram touches?

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: right, 7th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #538) – the answers

NYT Strands answers for game 538 on a blue background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today’s Strands, game #538, are…

  • LOTION
  • BALM
  • CREAM
  • BUTTER
  • JELLY
  • SERUM
  • SALVE
  • SPANGRAM: MOISTURIZERS
  • My rating: Easy
  • My score: Perfect

I didn’t really think about it until this edition of Strands, but it’s interesting how many of the things we rub on our faces sound like food – CREAM, BUTTER, JELLY, milk. Or maybe it should be that it’s incredible how many foods sound like things we rub on our faces?

Anyway, I digress, today was a search for the many different formats of MOISTURIZERS – a spangram I got after initially spotting the word “moist” and realizing there was more to it.

I got LOTION first and from there went round the board in an anti-clockwise direction without a struggle or snag, unlike when i rub BALM into my beard; that’s a whole load of struggle and snag.

Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Friday, August 22, game #537)

  • DETECTIVE
  • STRANGER
  • LOVER
  • RIVAL
  • SPOUSE
  • HEIR
  • SPANGRAM: ITS A MYSTERY

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT’s not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It’s now a fully fledged member of the NYT’s games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.