Today’s NYT Strands theme returns to obscure references that only a few will understand immediately. Like May 8’s puzzle, I found the right words before the Spangram because they didn’t seem connected at all in my mind.
Tips to play today’s NYT Strands
The May 9 Strands board has some common words that don’t look like they fit the theme at first, so my tip is to simply form any word that makes sense until you unlock your first hint. Doing this once or twice could be enough to put you on track to find the Spangram and understand the theme better.
NYT Strands Tap to play hints (May 9)
You probably looked for the same words I did at first: “Phone, “game,” or “screen,” since we’re so used to tapping our phones nowadays. I couldn’t form any of these words or others related to online video, like “views” or “reels.” That’s when I realized today’s Strands had nothing to do with mobile games.
The puzzle is about a game—just not a video game. Think of a game where you use an object to tap another, and the words are decorations and obstacles on the field where you play this game.
NYT Strands Tap to play Spangram and solutions (May 9)
Today’s NYT Strands Spangram is MINIGOLF, starting from the “M” in the first column and going right to the “F” in the sixth row of the last column. I actually guessed “mini” before finding it, but I forgot that Spangrams are usually compound nouns and missed it for several other attempts.
The other words you’re looking for are common decorations and obstacles in a miniature golf course. The picture below, for example, shows one of the answers to the puzzle. After, you’ll find the full list of “tap to play” solution words.
- MINIGOLF (Spangram)
- RAMP
- TUNNEL
- CASTLE
- BOULDER
- WILDMILL
- WATERFALL
A new Stands puzzle will go live at midnight your time.
