Hunt the spangram
It names the theme and must touch two opposite edges. Finding it early often unlocks the rest of the board.
Strands is a word-search puzzle with a twist. Every letter belongs to a themed word — or to the spangram, the one answer that spans two opposite sides of the board and names the theme.
Connect letters in any direction — even diagonally — and change course mid-word. Letters never repeat inside a single word. There is no word bank: the theme is the clue.
The rules are simple. The theme is the hard part.
Each puzzle has a theme shown above the grid. Every theme word — and the spangram — belongs to it.
Connect letters vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. You can change direction mid-word. A letter is used at most once in a word.
The spangram names the theme and must touch two opposite sides of the board. It is the spine of the puzzle.
Three valid words that are not on the theme unlock a hint, which highlights one theme word on the grid.
It names the theme and must touch two opposite edges. Finding it early often unlocks the rest of the board.
Paths can turn and jump diagonally. If a straight line fails, try a zigzag through the same letters.
Valid words that are not on the theme still help. Three of them unlock a hint that lights a theme word.
Unlike a classic word search, nothing is printed beside the grid. The header is your only clue — think sideways.
On a full board every cell belongs to a theme word or the spangram. Isolated leftovers usually mean a missed path.
There is no mistake limit. Exploring the grid is part of the game, not a penalty.
Strands is a word-search puzzle on a 6-by-8 grid. You find themed words plus a spangram — the special answer that names the theme and touches two opposite sides of the board.
Connect letters in any direction, including diagonally. You can change direction mid-word. Letters never repeat inside a single word. There is no word bank: the theme is the clue.
It is the key word that summarizes the theme and must stretch between two opposite edges of the grid. Finding it early usually unlocks the rest of the puzzle.
Find three valid words that are not on the theme and the Hint button unlocks. It highlights one theme word. There is no penalty for extra guesses.
Yes. Daily and Unlimited are free on the web. No account required.
A new Daily puzzle appears every day. Unlimited lets you play as many boards as you like, any time.
Yes. The game works in a mobile browser. Daily, Unlimited, and Versus are all on this site.
No. Wrong paths help you earn hints. Explore the grid.
The board is at the top of this page. Or jump to the other mode.