Today's official Strands hint from the New York Times was "Cut and color." The puzzle involved finding hidden words related to gems and jewels, with the spangram being JEWELTONES, which forms the shape of a jewel on the board.
In Strands, theme words are a group of words related to a common theme, which players must find within a grid of letters. The spangram is a special word that reveals the theme's significance, connecting two opposite sides of the board. Both theme words and spangrams help players solve the puzzle by providing clues and highlighting related words.
The spangram answer for today's Strands puzzle is JEWELTONES. This spangram is particularly clever as it forms the shape of a jewel on the board. The theme words related to the spangram are RUBY, SAPPHIRE, GARNET, AMETHYST, RUBY, and EMERALD, all of which are common gems/jewels.