#59Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Strands answers for May 1, 2024 — “A token of our appreciation” (#59)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for May 1, 2024 (puzzle #59) is MONOPOLY, a 8-letter answer to the theme "A token of our appreciation". The 6 theme words are IRON, PENGUIN, RACECAR, SHIP, THIMBLE and WHEELBARROW.
Where is each answer on the May 1 Strands board?
Strands #59 resolves to these 6 theme words plus the spangram MONOPOLY.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRON | 4 | row 8, column 1 | row 7, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| PENGUIN | 7 | row 2, column 5 | row 1, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| RACECAR | 7 | row 4, column 6 | row 7, column 6 | top to bottom |
| SHIP | 4 | row 8, column 5 | row 6, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| THIMBLE | 7 | row 3, column 2 | row 7, column 2 | top to bottom |
| WHEELBARROW | 11 | row 2, column 2 | row 7, column 1 | top to bottom |
| MONOPOLY | 8 | row 1, column 4 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the May 1 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #59 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 8 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 L-E-E-M-N-I, row 2 reads B-W-H-O-P-U, row 3 reads A-T-N-E-N-G, row 4 reads R-H-O-C-A-R, row 5 reads R-I-M-P-E-C, row 6 reads O-L-B-P-O-A, row 7 reads W-E-N-I-L-R, and row 8 reads I-R-O-H-S-Y.
How hard was the May 1 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #59 as easy: it sits at the 26th 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 May 1 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #59 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Christina Iverson. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the May 1 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on May 1, 2024?
The Strands clue for May 1, 2024 is “A token of our appreciation”, on puzzle #59. It is answered by the spangram MONOPOLY, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on May 1, 2024?
The 6 Strands theme words for May 1, 2024 are IRON, PENGUIN, RACECAR, SHIP, THIMBLE and WHEELBARROW, plus the spangram MONOPOLY.
What was the big word in the May 1, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for May 1, 2024 is MONOPOLY, 8 letters long, running from row 1, column 4 to row 8, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “A token of our appreciation” mean?
The Strands theme “A token of our appreciation” for May 1, 2024 means MONOPOLY — 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 May 1, 2024?
Strands puzzle #59 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the May 1, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #59 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 26% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on May 1, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 is #59, 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 May 2024, part of the full Strands archive.