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NYT Strands #78: Hints, Answers and Spangram for May 20, 2024

Hints and answers for NYT Strands game #78 on May 20, 2024, including the “Fowl fairy tale” theme and UGLYDUCKLING spangram.
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NYT Strands game #78, from Monday, May 20, 2024, has the theme “Fowl fairy tale.” If you need help finding the words, start with the gentle hints below; the complete theme-word list and spangram are farther down, after a spoiler warning.

Strands #78 hints for May 20

The puzzle’s theme is “Fowl fairy tale.” The following clues move from a light nudge to more direct help.

Clue words

TechRadar’s guide lists these words to find for in-game hints: WEST, STILT, MIST, BEAU, BEAN, and BANK. Finding three unrelated words in Strands unlocks a hint that highlights a theme word, according to Try Hard Guides’ explanation of the game.

Spangram clue and path

The spangram clue is “Those awkward early years.” TechRadar reports that its path first touches the right edge at row 5 and last touches the left edge at row 6.

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Complete answer reveal

Spoiler warning: The theme words and spangram are listed below.

  • JOURNEY
  • BEAUTIFUL
  • MISFIT
  • SWAN
  • REFLECTION

Spangram: UGLYDUCKLING.

How Strands works

Strands is a themed word-search game. Try Hard Guides describes its board as allowing words in any direction, without reusing or crossing letters. The spangram describes the theme and stretches between opposite sides of the board. These are the guides’ descriptions of the game mechanics; this answer guide does not claim an independent replay of the archived puzzle.

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Where to play

The puzzle guides direct readers to NYT Games’ Strands to play. This page covers the archived May 20, 2024 puzzle, rather than today’s current daily board.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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