For those who’re searching for hints and solutions for Strands for Monday, Might 4, 2026, learn on—I’ll share some clues and ideas, and at last the answer to the puzzle with the theme “Might the forest be with you.”
For a simple technique to come again to our Strands hints every single day, bookmark this web page. You may as well discover our previous hints there as properly, in case you wish to know what you missed in a earlier puzzle. (For those who play Wordle or Connections, take a look at our hints for these video games, too.)
Under, I’ll offer you some indirect hints at immediately’s Strands solutions. And farther down the web page, I’ll reveal the spangram and the solutions. Scroll slowly and take simply the hints you want!
Credit score: Strands/NYT
Trace for the spangram in immediately’s Strands puzzle
For those who wished to induce somebody to strive one thing outdoors their consolation zone, you would possibly inform them to do that two-word factor.
Trace for the theme phrases in immediately’s Strands puzzle
Bushes.
BEWARE: Spoilers observe for immediately’s Strands puzzle!
We’re about to provide away the solutions to immediately’s Strands puzzle.
What’s the spangram in immediately’s Strands?
At present’s spangram is BRANCHOUT.
What are the theme phrases in immediately’s Strands?
The theme phrases immediately are DOGWOOD, ASPEN, BIRCH, CEDAR, CYPRESS, EUCALYPTUS.
Right here’s what the board seems to be like when the puzzle is solved:
Credit score: Strands/NYT
How I solved immediately’s Strands
The puzzle theme is a reference to the quote “could the drive be with you” from the Star Wars franchise—which is becoming for immediately, the unofficial Star Wars holiday.
DOGWOOD, a kind of tree, is within the higher left nook. 🔵 Appears just like the Star Wars.
ASPEN is to the correct of DOGWOOD. 🔵
CEDAR is within the higher proper. 🔵
CYPRESS is under CEDAR. 🔵
I see the spangram now: BRANCHOUT. 🟡
What do you suppose to this point?
BIRCH is within the backside left. 🔵
Lastly, EUCALYPTUS. 🔵
Strands #792 “Might the forest be with you” 🔵🔵🔵🔵 🟡🔵🔵
Easy methods to play Strands
You could find the Strands recreation on the New York Occasions web site and within the NYT Video games app.
While you begin taking part in, you’ll see a recreation board with an assortment of letters, flanked by a clue that provides a touch on the board’s theme—this can be a phrase, like “Higher with age.” Your job is to search out the hidden phrases throughout the board that mirror the puzzle’s theme.
A crossword crossed with a phrase search
An important phrase to search out is the “spangram,” a phrase that extra explicitly states the puzzle’s theme. (For instance, the spangram for the puzzle with the theme “Higher with age” is FERMENTED, which describes merchandise which might be, you guessed it, higher with age.) The spangram will span the complete recreation board, both from left to proper or prime to backside (therefore the identify). While you discover the spangram, will probably be highlighted in yellow. Fixing the spangram often makes the remainder of the puzzle a lot simpler to finish.
In Strands, phrases can journey any route (up, down, left, proper, and diagonal), and you’ll solely use every letter as soon as. There is just one appropriate resolution. While you accurately determine one of many puzzle’s phrases (for instance, KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI), will probably be highlighted in blue.
If you’re struggling to resolve the puzzle, you possibly can submit any non-theme phrases you see (so long as they’re 4 letters or extra) to obtain credit score towards a single trace. For those who submit three non-theme phrases, the “Trace” button can be clickable; for those who click on it, all the letters in one of many theme phrases can be highlighted for you. You’ll nonetheless should hyperlink these highlighted letters in the correct order to type one of many theme phrases. If there’s already a touch on the board and you utilize one other trace earlier than fixing for that phrase, that phrase’s letter order can be revealed.
Easy methods to win Strands
In contrast to Connections and Wordle, you can not fail Strands. While you submit guesses, you’ll both accurately determine a solution, obtain credit score towards a touch, or the textual content will shake forwards and backwards, indicating that the phrase you submitted is just too brief or not legitimate. You’ll be able to’t run out of guesses, and there’s no time restrict.
You win whenever you’ve accurately used all of the letters on the board, which means that you’ve got recognized the spangram and all the theme phrases. Like different NYT video games, upon fixing the puzzle, you will note a shareable card that signifies the way you carried out that day: blue dots 🔵 point out theme phrases you discovered, the yellow dot 🟡 signifies whenever you discovered the spangram, and a lightbulb 💡 signifies phrases that you simply obtained a touch for.
Not the day you are after? Here is the answer to yesterday’s Strands.