Strands Hint

#222Friday, October 11, 2024

Strands answers for October 11, 2024 — “Let's experiment” (#222)

The NYT Strands spangram for October 11, 2024 (puzzle #222) is CHEMISTRYLAB, a 12-letter answer to the theme "Let's experiment". The 5 theme words are BEAKER, FLASK, GOGGLES, PIPETTE and THERMOMETER.

BEAKERFLASKGOGGLESPIPETTETHERMOMETERCHEMISTRYLAB

Where is each answer on the October 11 Strands board?

Strands #222 resolves to these 5 theme words plus the spangram CHEMISTRYLAB.

The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 6 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.

Verified board positions, Strands puzzle #222
AnswerLettersStartsEndsDirection
BEAKER6row 6, column 1row 3, column 1bottom to top
FLASK5row 6, column 3row 7, column 1diagonally across the grid
GOGGLES7row 8, column 6row 6, column 6diagonally across the grid
PIPETTE7row 3, column 3row 1, column 2diagonally across the grid
THERMOMETER11row 5, column 6row 1, column 5bottom to top
CHEMISTRYLAB12row 8, column 4row 2, column 4bottom to top

What did the October 11 Strands grid look like?

Puzzle #222 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.

EETAREPTLBTERIPYMOEKRERMATSIHTBEFMGSKLEGLESAHCOG

Spangram — 12 letters5 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-E-T-A-R-E, row 2 reads P-T-L-B-T-E, row 3 reads R-I-P-Y-M-O, row 4 reads E-K-R-E-R-M, row 5 reads A-T-S-I-H-T, row 6 reads B-E-F-M-G-S, row 7 reads K-L-E-G-L-E, and row 8 reads S-A-H-C-O-G.

How hard was the October 11 Strands puzzle?

The difficulty index rates puzzle #222 as hard: it sits at the 98th percentile of every Strands grid to date.

Difficulty
98
percentile, hard
Path turns
33
direction changes
Decoy words
1076
non-theme words accepted
Mean answer
7.2
letters per theme word

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 October 11 Strands puzzle?

Strands puzzle #222 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 October 11 Strands puzzle

What was the clue for Strands on October 11, 2024?

The Strands clue for October 11, 2024 is “Let's experiment”, on puzzle #222. It is answered by the spangram CHEMISTRYLAB, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.

What were the Strands words on October 11, 2024?

The 5 Strands theme words for October 11, 2024 are BEAKER, FLASK, GOGGLES, PIPETTE and THERMOMETER, plus the spangram CHEMISTRYLAB.

What was the big word in the October 11, 2024 Strands?

The big word — the spangram — for October 11, 2024 is CHEMISTRYLAB, 12 letters long, running from row 8, column 4 to row 2, 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 “Let's experiment” mean?

The Strands theme “Let's experiment” for October 11, 2024 means CHEMISTRYLAB — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 5 theme words is an example of it.

How many theme words are in Strands October 11, 2024?

Strands puzzle #222 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.

How difficult was the October 11, 2024 Strands puzzle?

Strands #222 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 98% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.

What number was the Strands puzzle on October 11, 2024?

The Strands puzzle published on Friday, October 11, 2024 is #222, 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 October 2024, part of the full Strands archive.