• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… Ore so they say
NYT Strands today — my hints, answers and spangram for Sunday, January 26 (game #329)
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 #329) – hint #1 – today’s theme
What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?
NYT Strands today (game #329) – hint #2 – clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- PAIN
- COMA
- CLAD
- MULE
- TEAL
- BELL
NYT Strands today (game #329) – hint #3 – spangram
What is a hint for today’s spangram?
• Vital elements
NYT Strands today (game #329) – hint #4 – spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today’s spangram touches?
First side: top, 3rd column
Last side: bottom, 4th column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #329) – the answers

The answers to today’s Strands, game #329, are…
- NICKEL
- IRON
- COBALT
- CADMIUM
- ALUMINUM
- TITANIUM
- SPANGRAM: PURE METAL
- My rating: Easy
- My score: 1 hint
It was pretty obvious from the theme clue what we were looking for today and, of course, my biggest fear was that I would have to spell out ALUMINIUM – or rather, ALUMINUM as those of you in the United States would have it. A few very obvious – and much easier to find and spell – PURE METALs were left out of the puzzle, including Gold, Copper, Zinc and Silver.
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As I was completing the game my mind wandered to the heavy metal genre, and the thought that it was named that after IRON Maiden – iron being a particularly heavy metal. But actually, Google tells me it comes from the song Born to Be Wild by the ’70s band Steppenwolf, which includes the phrase “heavy metal thunder”. So today I learned two things – that, plus how to spell ALUMINUM.
How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.
Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Saturday, 25 January, game #328)
- BALLOON
- COFFEE
- SUCCEED
- COMMITTEE
- WHIPPOORWILL
- SPANGRAM: LETTERS
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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