Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Rope strands in the shapoe of a heart outdoors
Image via Pixabay

‘Carle classic’ Strands NYT hints and answers for today (Aug. 17)

Carle chameleon?

Today’s Strands puzzle features an extremely cryptic clue that isn’t necessarily all that much help either if you understand what it is referring to.

Recommended Videos

“Carle classic” is a niche reference at best for non-American players of the word game, and it’s been a slightly frustrating solving experience for me—here’s to making sure it won’t be the same for you.

‘Carle classic’ Strands Spangram hints and answer (Aug. 17)

  • Hint 1: The Spangram today is extremely long, consisting of seventeen letters and multiple words.
  • Hint 2: The Spangram’s first letter is “H” and the last letter is “R.”
  • Hint 3: “Carle Classic” refers to a children’s book with a soon-to-be-butterfly that likes to eat a lot.

Stop scrolling if you don’t want me to spoil the answer.

Aug. 17’s Spangram is “HUNGRYCATERPILLAR,” referring to American author Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It starts from the “H” in the third row of the left column and ends on the “R” in the sixth row of the right column, visiting the bottom of the grid along the way.

Aug. 17 NYT Strands spangram
A humongous word salad. Image by Dot Esports

‘Carle classic’ Strands word hints and final solution

Even if you had no idea about the clue (like myself), maybe you could have gleaned that this might be a children’s story in some way. Still, it might be a bit difficult to narrow down what you’re looking for until you figure out that you’re looking for things a cartoon caterpillar might eat.

  • Hint 1: A kind of cured sausage. (6 letters)
  • Hint 2: Tree foliage. (4 letters)
  • Hint 3: A massive green fruit that only the biggest cartoon caterpillar might eat. (10 letters)

Here’s the full answer for Aug. 17’s “Carle classic” Strands with all words in their right placements:

Yum yum yum. Image by Dot Esports
  • HUNGRYCATERPILLAR (Spangram)
  • SALAMI
  • APPLE
  • PICKLE
  • WATERMELON
  • LEAF

‘Carle classic’ Strands (Aug. 17) difficulty rating and solving process

Personally, I found this one of the most frustrating Strands solves of all time, and not just because of the cryptic nature of the clue. I immediately honed in on CATERPILLAR and was quite annoyed to realize that it wasn’t accepted—for words of this specificity and length, it signifies that it’s a part of a longer phrase as it won’t just show up at random. (I am not very keen on multi-word Spangrams for this very reason.)

Then, as I tend to do when I’m unsure of how to proceed, I started working my way out of the corners but went with FLEA in the bottom left rather than LEAF. Eventually, I stumbled on the correct version of the word, and I’m not ashamed to say that I just started spamming hints after that point. With APPLE and SALAMI soon to follow, I finally figured out the full Spangram, then quickly wrapped up the rest of the puzzle.

If I had to rate this Strands for difficulty, I’d call it a four out of five if you can’t grasp the Spangram early and a two out of five if you do. For me, it was five out of five on the annoyance scale, that’s for sure.

Other word games to try after completing the NYT Strands

Looking for more word games? How about the NYT Mini Crossword for the day or Spelling Bee? There are also crosswords for you to check out over at the LA Times and the Washington Post for a quick fix.


Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Luci Kelemen
Luci Kelemen
Weekend Editor
Weekend editor at Dot Esports. Telling tales of gaming since 2015. Black-belt time-waster when it comes to strategy games and Counter-Strike. Previously featured on PC Gamer, Fanbyte, and more, Occasional chess tournament attendant and even more occasional winner.