#172Thursday, August 22, 2024
Strands answers for August 22, 2024 — “Smoothie moves” (#172)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for August 22, 2024 (puzzle #172) is BLENDERSETTING, a 14-letter answer to the theme "Smoothie moves". The 7 theme words are CHOP, GRIND, LIQUEFY, PULSE, PUREE, STIR and WHIP.
Where is each answer on the August 22 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #172 is 7 theme words and one spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 8 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHOP | 4 | row 8, column 2 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| GRIND | 5 | row 2, column 4 | row 5, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| LIQUEFY | 7 | row 4, column 1 | row 1, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| PULSE | 5 | row 4, column 5 | row 6, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| PUREE | 5 | row 6, column 3 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| STIR | 4 | row 8, column 5 | row 6, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| WHIP | 4 | row 3, column 5 | row 1, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| BLENDERSETTING | 14 | row 3, column 2 | row 7, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the August 22 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #172 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 14 letters7 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads E-F-Y-E-P-I, row 2 reads Q-U-L-G-N-H, row 3 reads I-B-R-D-W-U, row 4 reads L-N-I-E-P-L, row 5 reads E-D-U-S-R-S, row 6 reads E-R-P-E-R-E, row 7 reads O-H-T-G-N-I, and row 8 reads P-C-T-I-S-T.
How hard was the August 22 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #172 as above average: it sits at the 71th percentile of every Strands grid to date.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the August 22 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #172 was edited by Tracy Bennett, who also constructed it. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the August 22 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on August 22, 2024?
The Strands clue for August 22, 2024 is “Smoothie moves”, on puzzle #172. It is answered by the spangram BLENDERSETTING, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on August 22, 2024?
The 7 Strands theme words for August 22, 2024 are CHOP, GRIND, LIQUEFY, PULSE, PUREE, STIR and WHIP, plus the spangram BLENDERSETTING.
What was the big word in the August 22, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for August 22, 2024 is BLENDERSETTING, 14 letters long, running from row 3, column 2 to row 7, column 4. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Smoothie moves” mean?
The Strands theme “Smoothie moves” for August 22, 2024 means BLENDERSETTING — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 7 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands August 22, 2024?
Strands puzzle #172 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the August 22, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #172 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 71% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on August 22, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, August 22, 2024 is #172, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in August 2024, part of the full Strands archive.