NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Thursday, December 5 (game #277)

NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
(Image credit: New York Times)

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 #277) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

Today's NYT Strands theme is… Gonna fly now!

NYT Strands today (game #277) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

  • WIFE
  • GRAY
  • ROOTS
  • DRAY
  • TASK
  • TUBE

NYT Strands today (game #277) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

Flappy bird/non-birds

NYT Strands today (game #277) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 4th row

Last: right, 1st row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #277) - the answers

NYT Strands answers for game 277 on a blue background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #277, are…

  • ANGEL
  • GRIFFIN
  • DRAGON
  • STORK
  • BUTTERFLY
  • FAIRY
  • SPANGRAM: WINGED THING

  • My rating: Easy
  • My score: Perfect

We all have our quirks, and one of mine is that I suffer from mild entomophobia (fear of flying insects), so I found today’s Strands a tiny – emphasis on the word tiny – bit triggering. My first thought was that this was another air travel theme, and it took me a hint before I realized it was a different variety of wings we were looking for.

It’s not entirely pleasing that the puzzle was made up of a mixture of both real and fantastical WINGED THINGs – the DRAGON has little in common with a BUTTERFLY (imagine, if you will, Game of Thrones with butterflies instead of dragons; yeah, it doesn't really work, does it?).

Anyway let's not discuss wings any further or I might faint.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.


Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, 4 December, game #276)

  • GRAVE
  • ACUTE
  • TILDE
  • UMLAUT
  • CEDILLA
  • CIRCUMFLEX
  • SPANGRAM: DIACRITICS

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.

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Johnny is a freelance pop culture journalist who has been writing about the internet, music, football and famous people since the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. Previously known by the pseudonym the Pop Detective, his journalistic career began making up stories about Madonna's addiction to sausage rolls (this is not true by the way). A man of few talents, his career is rich and various and includes the highs of interviewing Elton John and Blur; and the lows of interviewing Right Said Fred, appearing on a Channel 5 documentary about Peter Kay, and fact-checking the instruction manual for a German cooker. Somehow still affording to live in North London he is at his happiest riding his bicycle and shouting at pigeons.

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