• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… Hole foods
NYT Strands today — my hints, answers and spangram for Monday, January 13 (game #316)
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 #316) – hint #1 – today’s theme
What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?
NYT Strands today (game #316) – hint #2 – clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- BEER
- PAIN
- VERY
- BAGS
- RAIL
- LAME
NYT Strands today (game #316) – hint #3 – spangram
What is a hint for today’s spangram?
• Great with cheese spread
NYT Strands today (game #316) – hint #4 – spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today’s spangram touches?
First side: right, 4th row
Last side: left, 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 #316) – the answers

The answers to today’s Strands, game #316, are…
- PLAIN
- EVERYTHING
- GARLIC
- RAISIN
- SESAME
- BLUEBERRY
- SPANGRAM: BAGELS
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
Sometimes, it’s not until you do Strands that you realise how many different types of a certain thing there are – in today’s case, BAGELS.
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This was probably one of the easiest Spangrams. Finding all the different kinds of “Hole foods” was more of a challenge – especially if you’re a PLAIN-only kind of person.
Beyond the difference in the baking process and the denseness of the dough, some people struggle with the appeal of the bagel and wonder why you wouldn’t just eat a sandwich. This completely ignores the unique wonder of the bagel – the hole making it enjoyable to eat and more portable. There’s lots you can do with a bagel that you can’t do with a sandwich, such as thread it through some string and wear one as a necklace, or nail three bagels to a tree to create a bird feeder. In comparison, sandwiches are boring.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Sunday, 12 January, game #315)
- STUN
- ASTONISH
- GOBSMACK
- SURPRISE
- FLABBERGAST
- SPANGRAM: MINDBLOWN
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT’s new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It’s now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT’s games stable 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.
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…
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