#72Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Strands answers for May 14, 2024 — “On board” (#72)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for May 14, 2024 (puzzle #72) is CHARCUTERIE, a 11-letter answer to the theme "On board". The 7 theme words are BRIE, CRACKER, FRUIT, NUTS, OLIVE, SALAMI and SPREAD.
Where is each answer on the May 14 Strands board?
Here are all 7 theme words from the May 14, 2024 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRIE | 4 | row 2, column 6 | row 1, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| CRACKER | 7 | row 8, column 5 | row 5, column 4 | bottom to top |
| FRUIT | 5 | row 8, column 4 | row 7, column 1 | right to left |
| NUTS | 4 | row 6, column 2 | row 7, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| OLIVE | 5 | row 1, column 3 | row 2, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| SALAMI | 6 | row 6, column 6 | row 3, column 5 | bottom to top |
| SPREAD | 6 | row 3, column 3 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| CHARCUTERIE | 11 | row 3, column 1 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the May 14 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 8 words tile all 48 cells of the May 14, 2024 grid.
Spangram — 11 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 I-L-O-R-E-R, row 2 reads V-E-A-C-I-B, row 3 reads C-H-S-U-I-A, row 4 reads R-P-E-T-M-L, row 5 reads E-A-K-R-E-A, row 6 reads D-N-U-C-R-S, row 7 reads T-S-T-A-R-I, and row 8 reads I-U-R-F-C-E.
How hard was the May 14 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #72 comes out easy, ahead of 10% of them.
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 14 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #72 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 14 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on May 14, 2024?
The Strands clue for May 14, 2024 is “On board”, on puzzle #72. It is answered by the spangram CHARCUTERIE, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on May 14, 2024?
The 7 Strands theme words for May 14, 2024 are BRIE, CRACKER, FRUIT, NUTS, OLIVE, SALAMI and SPREAD, plus the spangram CHARCUTERIE.
What was the big word in the May 14, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for May 14, 2024 is CHARCUTERIE, 11 letters long, running from row 3, column 1 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 “On board” mean?
The Strands theme “On board” for May 14, 2024 means CHARCUTERIE — 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 May 14, 2024?
Strands puzzle #72 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the May 14, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #72 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 10% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on May 14, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 is #72, 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.