Today's NYT Strands is live for Friday, January 3, 2026 (Puzzle #671). Stuck on today's Strands? We've got progressive hints, from gentle nudges to full solutions, so you can solve at your own pace.
How Strands Works (New Players Start Here)
Strands hides themed words inside a 6x8 letter grid. Your mission: find every word connected to the day's theme. Letters link in any direction (horizontal, vertical, diagonal) and words can twist and turn. Every letter gets used exactly once.
The spangram is the key word or phrase that captures the theme and stretches across the entire board, touching opposite edges.
Need a boost? Find any 4+ letter word (even non-theme words) three times, and the game reveals a hint highlighting theme word letters.
Theme Decoder
Today's Theme Prompt: "I've never seen that before!"
What It Really Means
This theme points to words describing something new, innovative, or groundbreaking - things that represent fresh ideas or pioneering concepts.
Think About...
- Words for innovation and creativity
- Synonyms for "new" or "original"
- Terms describing pioneering work or fresh approaches
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Top to Bottom
Letter Count: 13 letters
Starting Zone: First row
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): This phrase describes doing something innovative or pioneering
Hint 2 (Warmer): It's an idiom about creating something entirely new or unexplored
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is B, last letter is D
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BREAKNEWGROUND
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: Describes creative thinking
Closer: Characterized by originality and imagination
Letter Clue: Starts with I, 9 letters total
Answer
INVENTIVE
Word 2
Vague: Highly influential or groundbreaking
Closer: Describes work that establishes a new field or approach
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 7 letters total
Answer
SEMINAL
Word 3
Vague: The first of its kind
Closer: Not copied or imitated from something else
Letter Clue: Starts with O, 8 letters total
Answer
ORIGINAL
Word 4
Vague: New and different
Closer: A book-length fictional work, or something new and unusual
Letter Clue: Starts with N, 5 letters total
Answer
NOVEL
Word 5
Vague: Recently made or obtained
Closer: Not stale or old; newly produced
Letter Clue: Starts with F, 5 letters total
Answer
FRESH
Full Answers
Spangram: BREAKNEWGROUND
Theme Words:
- INVENTIVE
- SEMINAL
- ORIGINAL
- NOVEL
- FRESH
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Trickiest Word: SEMINAL (Less common than other synonyms for "new" or "innovative")
Our Take: A clever theme that plays on the phrase "I've never seen that before!" with a consistent set of synonyms for innovation. The spangram BREAKNEWGROUND ties everything together perfectly, though SEMINAL might trip up some solvers who expect more obvious choices.
