NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, January 30 (game #698)

Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #698) – hint #1 – today’s theme

NYT Strands today (game #698) – hint #2 – clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• DENT
• BEND
• SLAM
• LAMP
• NATURE
• FIRST

NYT Strands today (game #698) – hint #3 – spangram letters

NYT Strands today (game #698) – hint #4 – spangram position

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #698) – the answers

The answers to today’s Strands, game #698, are…

• LANDMARK
• BEACON
• COMPASS
• ATLAS
• SEXTANT
• STAR
• SPANGRAM: FINDYOURWAY

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

There was no getting lost with this fairly straightforward search, but it was fun navigating around the board all the same.

If I was allowed just one book on a desert island then I would choose an ATLAS, not because it might help me find out where I was in the world but because I find looking at maps endlessly fascinating.

That said, I am also aware of the way maps distort the true reality of our planet, such as the proximity of Greenland to certain nations and its size. To investigate this I’d like to recommend a website called The True Size (thetruesize.com), which allows you to see the true area of countries and US states in relation to the rest of the world. As someone who lives in the UK – somewhere that is often illustrated as far bigger than it really is – it’s quite a humbling exercise.

Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Thursday, January 29, game #697)

• HERO
• ICON
• SUPERSTAR
• CELEBRITY
• PERSONALITY
• SPANGRAM: CLAIMTOFAME

Johnny is a freelance pop culture journalist who has been writing about the internet, music, football and famous people since the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs’ eye. Previously known by the pseudonym the Pop Detective, his journalistic career began making up stories about Madonna’s addiction to sausage rolls (this is not true by the way). A man of few talents, his career is rich and various and includes the highs of interviewing Elton John and Blur; and the lows of interviewing Right Said Fred, appearing on a Channel 5 documentary about Peter Kay, and fact-checking the instruction manual for a German cooker. Somehow still affording to live in North London he is at his happiest riding his bicycle and shouting at pigeons.