• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… Prepare to be eaten
NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Saturday, December 7 (game #279)
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 #279) – hint #1 – today’s theme
What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?
NYT Strands today (game #279) – hint #2 – clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- STOP
- STAMP
- HEAT
- MATCH
- CHOP
- TOAST
NYT Strands today (game #279) – hint #3 – spangram
What is a hint for today’s spangram?
• Spuds up
NYT Strands today (game #279) – hint #4 – spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today’s spangram touches?
First: bottom, 4th column
Last: top, 6th column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #279) – the answers

The answers to today’s Strands, game #279, are…
- FRIED
- BAKED
- MASHED
- ROASTED
- FONDANT
- SCALLOPED
- SPANGRAM: HOT POTATO
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
Having spent far too long watching The Walking Dead, zombies – or “walkers” – was my first thought about today’s clue “Prepare to be eaten”. I used to love that show, but then it turned into a zombie itself and self-replicated into other weaker versions of itself. Then those weaker versions self-replicated into even weaker more boring versions, so you could hardly recognize the old Walking Dead anymore.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
Anyway, I digress because today’s Strands was actually about the greatest vegetable of them all – the beloved HOT POTATO – and some of the multiple ways in which it can be cooked. My favorite is smashed potatoes – boiled whole, then squished, then drizzled, then BAKED – it works, my friends.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Friday, 6 December, game #278)
- CLUB
- BUNCH
- GROUP
- CROWD
- CIRCLE
- CLIQUE
- SOCIETY
- SPANGRAM: FELLOWSHIP
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…
Recent Posts
- Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney announces questionable national AI strategy
- Kevin O’Leary agrees to downsize massive Utah data center
- This HP Omen 16 deal with RTX 5050 graphics is a steal for video editing — and I can’t find it cheaper anywhere else
- Amazon’s new plan for games: James Bond and AI Snoop Dogg
- How to watch France vs Ivory Coast: FREE streams, TV channels for World Cup 2026 warm-up
Archives
- June 2026
- May 2026
- April 2026
- March 2026
- February 2026
- January 2026
- December 2025
- November 2025
- October 2025
- September 2025
- August 2025
- 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