Hints, Answers and Help in Today’s New York Times, January 4, No. 307

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When I saw today’s topic Branches The puzzle, which is “Literary Couples,” I thought would be the names of married writers, like F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. (Hey, New York Times games editors, free idea for a future topic!) Spoiler: That’s not the case. Think of “literary pairs” not as people, but as words paired in the titles of their books. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I also delve into it The rules of the threads in this story.

If you are looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers then visit the site CNET’s NYT Mysteries Tips Page.

Read more: NYT Connections turns 1: These are the 5 toughest puzzles yet

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands topic is: Literary couples

If that doesn’t help, here’s a guide: like War and Peace, or Sense and Sensibility.

Keywords to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find the hidden words that fit the theme of the puzzle. If you’re stuck, search for any words you can find. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the keywords. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any four or more letter words you find will work:

• Location, location, crack, boom, flake, shine, tile, tied, tired, dice

Today’s Strands Puzzle Answers

These are the answers that relate to the topic. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, which is a thematic word that connects from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you get them all (I initially thought there were always eight but learned the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the non-Spanish answers:

• Sound, fury, crime, punishment, pride, prejudice

Strands spangram today

Strands spangram today is Book titles. To find it, start with the letter B which is five letters away in the leftmost column, then work your way up and around.