#28Sunday, March 31, 2024
Strands answers for March 31, 2024 — “It’s lit!” (#28)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for March 31, 2024 (puzzle #28) is ILLUMINATION, a 12-letter answer to the theme "It’s lit!". The 6 theme words are ANGLERFISH, BULB, FIREFLY, LANTERN, NEON and STAR.
Where is each answer on the March 31 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #28 is 6 theme words and one spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANGLERFISH | 10 | row 1, column 5 | row 6, column 4 | top to bottom |
| BULB | 4 | row 4, column 3 | row 3, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| FIREFLY | 7 | row 2, column 2 | row 3, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| LANTERN | 7 | row 4, column 6 | row 8, column 5 | top to bottom |
| NEON | 4 | row 4, column 2 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| STAR | 4 | row 7, column 1 | row 8, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| ILLUMINATION | 12 | row 8, column 4 | row 1, column 4 | bottom to top |
What did the March 31 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #28 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 12 letters6 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 R-E-F-N-A-N, row 2 reads I-F-L-O-I-G, row 3 reads B-U-Y-T-A-L, row 4 reads L-N-B-N-E-L, row 5 reads O-E-I-R-A-N, row 6 reads N-M-U-H-F-T, row 7 reads S-L-L-S-I-E, and row 8 reads T-A-R-I-N-R.
How hard was the March 31 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #28 as above average: it sits at the 58th 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 March 31 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #28 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Heidi Erwin. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the March 31 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on March 31, 2024?
The Strands clue for March 31, 2024 is “It’s lit!”, on puzzle #28. It is answered by the spangram ILLUMINATION, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on March 31, 2024?
The 6 Strands theme words for March 31, 2024 are ANGLERFISH, BULB, FIREFLY, LANTERN, NEON and STAR, plus the spangram ILLUMINATION.
What was the big word in the March 31, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for March 31, 2024 is ILLUMINATION, 12 letters long, running from row 8, column 4 to row 1, 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 “It’s lit!” mean?
The Strands theme “It’s lit!” for March 31, 2024 means ILLUMINATION — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands March 31, 2024?
Strands puzzle #28 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the March 31, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #28 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 58% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on March 31, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, March 31, 2024 is #28, 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 March 2024, part of the full Strands archive.