Looking for help uncovering words in today’s NYT Strands puzzle? Look no further! Below, you’ll find some extra clues and other help to get you started in your quest.

Today’s is something of an extra challenging NYT Strands puzzle in my humblest of opinions. It reminds me a bit of a very loose Purple Group connection in that game. A bit on the vague and precarious side. But hey, I’m always up for a challenge. Shall we?

Looking for Wednesday’s Strands? Find our guide right here .

Strands is the newest game in the New York Times’ stable of puzzle games. It’s a fun twist on classic word search games. Every day we’re given a new theme and then tasked with uncovering all the words on the grid that fit that theme, including a spangram that spans two sides of the board. One of these words is the spangram which crosses from one side of the grid to another and reveals even more about the day’s theme.

Read on for today’s theme and some hints to help you uncover today’s words.

Today’s Theme: WHAT A TWIST

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Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase

Hint : Things that involve spiraling, whether in an injurious sense, a movement sense, or even styling or metaphorical (as in a sudden change you didn’t see coming in a film).

First two letters for each word:

Remember, spoilers ahead!

What Are Today’s Strands Answers?

Today’s spangram is: WHAT A TWIST

Here’s the full list of words:

  • HAIRSTYLE
  • DANCE
  • SPRAIN
  • SURPRISE
  • DISTORTION

Here’s the completed Strands grid:

Today’s Strands Breakdown

I admit, even after I found all of these I had a bit of a hard time reconciling them to the theme and the spangram. Spiraling? Twist? Sure a SURPRISE twist or an ankle SPRAIN, and you can twist and spiral in a DANCE, but HAIRSTYLE? I guess you can use a curling iron. DISTORTION also feels a bit off but whatever, it was a fun challenge even if this does seem like a stretch. Sometimes a SURPRISE twist is a stretch, after all.

How’d you do on your Strands today? Let me know on Twitter and Facebook .

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