The New York Times’ Strands puzzle for December 6th (#643) centers around the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Players must uncover theme-related words hidden within a letter grid, including a long “spangram” that spans the entire puzzle.
Unlocking the Theme
The central theme is Tolkien’s fantasy world. A helpful clue is the iconic phrase: “One ring to rule them all.” The puzzle is designed so that discovering three words of at least four letters will unlock one of the theme words, providing further assistance.
Today’s Answers
The non-spangram answers include:
- WIZARD
- RING
- FOREST
- DWARF
- QUEST
- SHIRE
- HOBBIT
The spangram, which stretches across the entire grid, is MIDDLEEARTH. The puzzle is complete when all letters are used in the solved words.
Puzzle Difficulty
Strands puzzles vary in difficulty. Some of the toughest recent themes include dated slang (January 21st, with “PHAT” as the hardest word) and marine biology terms (January 15th, with “BALEEN” or “RIGHT” proving difficult for many). The complexity lies in both the vocabulary and the pattern recognition needed to find the spangram.
The daily Strands puzzle, alongside other NYT games like Wordle and Connections, continues to grow in popularity for its blend of wordplay and cognitive challenge.
