🧩 **游戏机制解析：** Strands在传统单词搜索基础上创新，允许字母进行多方向连接（上下左右、对角线），且单词连接可改变方向，形成多样化的图形。游戏强调网格内所有字母的利用率，确保每个字母都服务于一个答案。

🎯 **主题与Spangram：** 游戏的核心在于围绕一个特定主题寻找单词。每个谜题都包含一个“spangram”，这是一个特殊的、贯穿整个网格（水平或垂直）的词语或短语，它准确地概括了当日的主题，是理解谜题的关键。

💡 **挑战性设计：** Strands通过提供模糊的提示而非直接列出单词，并隐藏单词列表，增加了游戏的挑战性和趣味性。这使得游戏比Wordle或Connections等其他NYT游戏需要更长的时间来完成，鼓励玩家进行更深入的思考。

🆘 **寻求帮助的途径：** 对于卡住或时间有限的玩家，文章提供了当日Strands的提示和spangram线索，包括主题的直接解释以及spangram的提示（方向），帮助玩家以自己喜欢的节奏进行游戏。

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferrined pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Dire straits

The words are problem-related.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are ways to describe tough situations.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is In A Fix.

NYT Strands word list for September 20

Pickle

Muddle

In a Fix

Quandary

Mess

Predicament

Dilemma

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.