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NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, April 8 (game #401)

Looking for NYT Strands answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, including the spangram.

Apr 7, 2025 - 15:05

NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, April 8 (game #401)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, April 7 (game #400).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #401) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Out of this world

NYT Strands today (game #401) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

TARN
FEUD
MOPS
SMOG
NEED
PLAIN

NYT Strands today (game #401) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 14 letters

NYT Strands today (game #401) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 4th row

Last side: top, 5th column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #401) - the answers

NYT Strands answers for game 401 on a blue background — (Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #401, are…

GRAVITY
ARRIVAL
DUNE
ALIEN
MEGALOPOLIS
SPANGRAM: SCIENCE FICTION

My rating: Easy
My score: Perfect

Unusually, I got the Spangram first today.

It felt a bit like that old-fashioned trick where a magician pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and different colored hankies keep appearing. It could be because today’s yellow snake spelled SCIENCE FICTION, but spanning from one side to the top also felt spooky and otherworldly, like it was breaking the rules of the space-time continuum. Well, sort of.

Anyway, it was wonderful to be reminded of these sci-fi classics – and MEGALOPOLIS.

The list also includes two films directed by the incredible Denis Villeneuve – ARRIVAL and DUNE (although, the compilers could have been thinking of the David Lynch version).

I would sincerely recommend seeking out the short story ARRIVAL was based on – Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang. Like all of his stories it unravels and haunts you in a very peculiar way – a bit like today's spangram.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, 7 April, game #400)

SATYR
MERMAN
GRIFFIN
CENTAUR
JACKALOPE
SPANGRAM: HYBRID CREATURE

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.