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The NYT Strands logo on a gray background with "Part of the equation" written in white.
Screenshot and remix by Dot Esports

Part of the equation – Strands NYT hints and answers (May 18)

I love it when I can put my college degree to use to find Spangrams in Strands.

Today’s NYT Strands made me really happy because it’s a topic I’m familiar with and have a lot of experience in. As soon as I saw “Part of the equation” in the theme, I knew exactly what word to look for—and, to my delight, it was the Spangram.

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How to play NYT Strands and find the Spangram

Finding the Spangram in today’s Strands will make the puzzle even more obvious. My hint is that the theme is literally about mathematical equations and their components, not an indirect reference to anything else as we’ve seen in recent challenges, so don’t look too far. The science that studies numbers and their relationships is the key, yellow word you should look for today.

The Spangram for “Part of the Equation” is MATHEMATICS, running from the “M” in the left column to the “S” in the right column. I think it was easy for me to find, not because I’m some kind of math genius, but because it starts with the top-left letter of the board, which is usually the first one I check when looking for answers in Strands. Since I was also convinced this puzzle was literally about equations, I was spot on.

Remember that equations are mathematical expressions that show relationships between different numbers, like 1 + 2 = 3. A good hint is to think about how operations are a key part of any equation, and then you’ll be close to the solution. The names of these elements and actions are what you’re looking for to find every word in today’s Strands, and they’re very similar to the names of their symbols.

All Part of the Equation Strands answers today (May 18):

  • MATHEMATICS (Spangram)
  • DIVIDE
  • DERIVE
  • MULTIPLY
  • SUBTRACT
  • CALCULATE
The May 18 Strands solution showing Mathematics in yellow as the Spangram.
The May 18 words in their right placements. Screenshot by Dot Esports

You can play a new Strands puzzle at midnight in your time zone.


If you enjoy word games, you can also check out some of our other articles, including Wordle tips.


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Author
Image of Bhernardo Viana
Bhernardo Viana
Staff Writer
Bhernardo is senior guides writer and strategist at Dot Esports. He's been working in the gaming industry for over 9 years, with works published on Destructoid, Prima Games, ESPN, and more. A fan of Pokémon since 6 years old and an avid Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch player. Now writing strategy and quests guides for several mobile and PC titles.