• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… Morning morsel
NYT Strands today — my hints, answers and spangram for Friday, December 20 (game #292)
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 #292) – hint #1 – today’s theme
What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?
NYT Strands today (game #292) – hint #2 – clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- CROP
- ELOPE
- FACE
- SACK
- PURE
- FEAR
NYT Strands today (game #292) – hint #3 – spangram
What is a hint for today’s spangram?
• Breakfast bowl
NYT Strands today (game #292) – hint #4 – spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today’s spangram touches?
First side: left, 5th row
Last side: right, 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 #292) – the answers

The answers to today’s Strands, game #292, are…
- LOOP
- FLAKE
- CHARM
- SMACK
- PEBBLE
- CRUNCH
- CHEERIO
- SPANGRAM: CEREAL
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
The oldest commercial breakfast CEREAL Grape-Nuts doesn’t figure in today’s list of pulverized oats, tempered rice, toasted corn, defatted wheat germ and puffed wheat, aka CEREAL, and its many ultra-processed mouth-feels.
Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
Of course, many cultures would never consider eating multi-colored cereals for breakfast – not even Grape-Nuts, which have managed to retain their air of sandal-wearing outdoorsy good health 127 years on – consuming eggs, rice, or meat-based meals instead. Recently I lasted all of two days following a diet plan that recommended salad for breakfast.
Despite its bad reputation, cereal isn’t always the worst option. Once when I was at a hostel in Amsterdam, I was given the following items for “breakfast”: a crispbread, a small box of chocolate sprinkles, and a can of Heineken. Give me a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch any day.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Thursday, 19 December, game #291)
- GLAM
- METAL
- PROGRESSIVE
- GRUNGE
- PUNK
- ALTERNATIVE
- SPANGRAM: ROCKING
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
- The Dyson HushJet Mini Cool is the powerful personal fan you won’t want to live without this summer — and it’s surprisingly reasonably priced, too
- Gone in 60 minutes
- GroWell Cap Review: I Have Hair for the First Time in 15 Years
- The Sonos Era 100 speaker is down to its lowest price in months
- Google shuts down the AI image app Pixel Studio
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