Hints and Solutions for NYT Strands on April 24

If you’re reading this, you’re looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times’ elevated word-search game. Strands requires players to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be formed from linked letters—up, down, left, right, or diagonal—but can also change direction, leading to quirky shapes and patterns. Every letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There’s always a theme connecting each solution, alongside the "spangram," a special word or phrase that encapsulates that day’s theme, spanning the entire grid either horizontally or vertically.

By providing an opaque hint and omitting the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing challenge that takes a bit longer to complete than other games, like Wordle and Connections. If you’re feeling stuck or don’t have 10 or more minutes to figure out today’s puzzle, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints you need to progress at your preferred pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Coarse material
The words hurt your hands.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained:
These words are known for being rough to handle. NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal? Today’s NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today:
Today’s spangram is RoughStuff.

NYT Strands word list for April 24:
Sackcloth
Sandpaper
RoughStuff
Bark
Loofah
Pumice
Rope

Looking for other daily online games? Explore our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword puzzles, and more. Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Strands.