NYT Strands today — hints, spangram and answers for game #187 (Friday, September 6 2024)

NYT Strands on a cellphone
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide/NY Times/Shutterstock)
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Need a bit of help with NYT Strands today? Today's puzzle theme — "Just right" — is a reference that you'll either instantly get, or you won't.

Below, we've compiled some useful hints for Strands #187, as well as the answers, should it come to that. We'll start off with some clues, before building up to the full answer for Strands #187, so read on if you need a little help.

Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #187.  

Today's NYT Strands answer — Today's theme and hints

The official theme for NYT Strands #187 is... "Just right".

And here's an unofficial hint from me: "Fairy tale."

If you're still in the dark, here are some useful words to give you those valuable clue tokens:

  • DRAFT
  • PROM
  • SPADE
  • BEER
  • SHARE
  • CASE
  • BRIDGE

Still struggling? The spangram will give you a hint about the connection word. Today, it starts with 'T' and ends in 'S'.

Scroll down to find out what it is...

It's THREEBEARS.

Today's Strands answers

So, what are today's Strands answers for game #187?

Drumroll, please...

  • PORRIDGE
  • CHAIRS
  • MAMA
  • BABY
  • PAPA
  • BEDS
  • HARD
  • SOFT

Strands #187

(Image credit: Alan Martin)

..and the spangram was THREEBEARS.

Strands #187

“Just right”

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Hi Strands fans. This will either be incredibly easy or seem like an oddly disconnected set of words, depending on your knowledge of childhood fairytales.

For me, it was the former. "Just right", is of course the phrase that comes up time and time again in Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This was confirmed for me when I saw the word PORRIDGE running along the top of the grid. 

Sure enough, the spangram of THREEBEARS snaked across the middle of the board, and that neatly cordoned off both CHAIRS and MAMA. The latter obviously led me to hunt down BABY and PAPA on the bottom half of the grid, and the former had me finding BEDS too.

The last two answers, I'm sorry to say, required a clue, but I was kicking myself when it was revealed: HARD. Of course, the BEDS were both too HARD and too SOFT - the last answer to complete the puzzle.

Yesterday's Strands answers

Reading this in a later time zone? You can find the full article on yesterday's Strands answers for game #186 right here.

Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.