Yes, you can find genuine Strands hints on Forbes. Its gaming contributors have published guides with extra clues, spangram help and complete answers for specific daily puzzles.
However, Forbes publishes coverage of the game, while The New York Times creates and operates Strands. Understanding that difference helps you choose between an extra clue from a writer and the hints available inside the puzzle itself.
The other important detail is the date. A genuine Forbes article can still give you the wrong help if it covers a different puzzle.
What Are Forbes Strands Hints?
Forbes Strands hints are clues published in articles about the NYT word game. Contributors including Kris Holt and Paul Tassi have written these guides, adding their own suggestions alongside the puzzle’s original theme clue.
The amount of help varies between articles. A guide might offer another way to interpret the theme, reveal starting letters or show the spangram before listing the remaining answers.
These sections serve different purposes. An extra theme clue can point you in a useful direction, while a completed grid reveals the solution. Decide how much help you want before scrolling through the page.
What Makes Strands Different From a Normal Word Search?
The New York Times Strands is a daily word puzzle built around a shared theme. You search a grid for related words, using the theme clue to work out what connects them.
Words can change direction as you connect adjacent letters. That means looking only for straight lines can leave you stuck, even when you have already guessed a likely answer.
Each puzzle also includes a spangram. This word or phrase describes the overall connection and reaches across opposite sides of the board.
Finding it can make the other answers easier to recognise. However, reading the spangram in a guide can also reveal much more than a small hint, so it helps to save that section until you need it.
How Do You Find a Genuine Forbes Guide?
Check the website address before relying on a result. The article should belong to the Forbes website, rather than another publisher using “Forbes” in its headline.
Next, look for the author’s name and the puzzle date in the heading. A familiar name alone does not tell you whether the article matches the board you are playing.
A useful search includes the publisher, game and full date. For example, search for “Forbes Strands hints” followed by the month, day and year of your puzzle.
Once you open the article, compare its theme clue with the clue displayed in your game. Matching both the date and the theme gives you a stronger check than relying on the word “today” in a search result.
Why Can the Publication Date Look Different?
The publication date and the puzzle date are not always identical. A guide can appear on the previous calendar day while clearly naming the next day’s puzzle in its headline.
For example, Paul Tassi’s Forbes guide for the Saturday, March 29, 2025 puzzle was published on March 28. Someone checking only the publication timestamp could mistake it for a guide to the wrong board.
Read the date named in the headline and confirm the theme inside the article. Include the year when checking older guides, because the same month and day return every year.
If the clues still do not match your board, stop before reading the answers. Return to the search results and look for the edition that matches your puzzle.
How Can You Get Help Without Seeing Every Answer?
Start with the smallest clue available. Read the extra theme hint, return to your puzzle and spend a little time testing that interpretation.
For instance, consider whether the theme could describe a phrase, a category or a double meaning. This is a solving approach, rather than a clue to any particular daily board.
If you remain stuck, move to the next level of help. Starting letters may preserve more of the challenge than reading a complete word, while the spangram can explain the connection across the whole puzzle.
Scroll carefully around answer headings and screenshots. In the Forbes guides reviewed for this article, hints and full solutions appear on the same page, with warnings before major reveals.
Can You Use the Game’s Own Hints Instead?
Yes. Strands has a built-in hint system, so opening an outside guide is optional.
Finding three valid words of at least four letters that are unrelated to the theme unlocks a hint. Using it highlights the letters belonging to one of the theme words.
This offers a different kind of help from a writer’s extra clue. The built-in hint directs your attention to letters on the board, while an editorial clue may help you understand the category.
Choose whichever addresses your difficulty. If you understand the theme but cannot locate a word, the game’s hint may help. If the theme itself makes little sense, another explanation may be more useful.
If you also play NYT Connections, our guide to Mashable’s Connections hints explains whether its clues are legitimate and how to find the correct puzzle guide without revealing every answer.
Are Forbes Strands Hints Worth Using?
Forbes guides can help when you want another clue or need to check a solution. The best approach is to match the puzzle first, then read only as far as necessary.
Treat the guide as optional help alongside the NYT game. A small nudge may be enough to get you moving again, leaving the remaining discoveries for you.
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