• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… Star Wars: A New Hope
NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, May 4 (game #427)

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 Saturday’s puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, May 3 (game #426).
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 #427) – hint #1 – today’s theme
What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?
NYT Strands today (game #427) – hint #2 – clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- POLE
- NINE
- REIN
- NAME
- REAL
- WARBLE
NYT Strands today (game #427) – hint #3 – spangram letters
How many letters are in today’s spangram?
• Spangram has 12 letters
NYT Strands today (game #427) – hint #4 – spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today’s spangram touches?
First side: top, 1st column
Last side: bottom, 8th column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #427) – the answers
The answers to today’s Strands, game #427, are…
- PLANET
- EMPIRE
- SPACE
- LONG
- TIME
- GALAXY
- REBEL
- SPANGRAM: OPENING CRAWL
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
I was wondering about the reason behind this edition of Strands and then I noticed the date on my laptop screen.
Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
Fortunately, you didn’t have to be a Star Wars fanatic to enjoy today’s search, which instead pays tribute to the OPENING CRAWL, the introductory piece of floating text that became a signature of all the Star Wars movies.
In the 1977 original version, the text, which begins “A LONG TIME ago, in a GALAXY far, far away…”, was designed to sync with John Williams’s main theme, with each new paragraph timing with a new section of music.
Sadly, this subtle effect was lost when the movie was retitled “A New Hope” and subsequently became chapter four of the nine-part Luke Skywalker saga and the insignificant seed of the sprawling 99-part franchise.
For all the hooplah that was to follow, that opening crawl was a reminder of the power of words to set the imagination flowing and transport us to another dimension. May the fourth be with you.
How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.
Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Saturday, May 3, game #426)
- GAUZE
- TAPE
- SYRINGE
- STETHOSCOPE
- THERMOMETER
- SPANGRAM: DOCTORS KIT
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.
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 Saturday’s puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers…
Recent Posts
- NYT Wordle today — answer and my hints for game #1479, Monday, July 7
- Playdate Season 2 review: Taria & Como and Black Hole Havoc
- 3 features that would actually make me pay for a Samsung Health subscription for my Galaxy Watch – and one big problem it needs to avoid
- 250-million pixel virtual projector sets world record on 280-meter tall building used as a screen
- TikTok’s ‘ban’ problem could end soon with a new app and a sale
Archives
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022