Best in Show – Strands NYT hints and answers (May 13)

The theme of today’s NYT Strands certainly looks too broad to be an actual hint about the theme of the solution words. There’s tons of connections you can make to “best in show,” but only a very specific one is correct.

Here’s how to solve the Strands puzzle for May 13.

Tips to play today’s NYT Strands

The May 13 NYT Strands isn’t your usual puzzle where you can stumble upon an answer while forming random words. You can still solve it if you get enough hints from this method, though I think you’re unlikely to find an answer by guessing things like “boat” or “photo”. My recommendation is you still form any three words you find to get your first hint since all but one of the answers will narrow down the theme just right.

NYT Strands Best in show hints (May 13)

I found “loop” and “bell” first since I always like starting with words that have double letters in a row, as they’re easier to find. They were wrong, but finding a third wrong word unlocked a hint that let me snowball to the puzzle’s completion.

This is a unique breed of Strands board, though I’m sure you can find at least one answer on the board with these tips. If you can’t, maybe you should ask your dog for help.

NYT Strands Best in show Spangram and solutions (May 13)

Today’s NYT Strands Spangram is DOGPILE, starting from the “D” in the left column and going right to the “E” in the sixth row of the right column. If you search for the names of different dog breeds, you’ll find that some very common ones are part of the solution.

If you didn’t catch the theme’s reference, it’s about the 2000 mockumentary Best in Show, which is about the competitive world of dog shows. A simple Google search could’ve ruined the entire fun of this puzzle since this movie is the first result when you search for “best in show”.

Here are all the answers to the May 13 Strands:

• DOGPILE (Spangram)
• HUSKY
• POODLE
• BEAGLE
• COLLIE
• HOUND
• SHEPHERD