#199Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Strands answers for September 18, 2024 — “Handy helpers” (#199)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for September 18, 2024 (puzzle #199) is TOOLCHEST, a 9-letter answer to the theme "Handy helpers". The 6 theme words are HAMMER, KNIFE, LEVEL, PLIERS, SCREWDRIVER and WRENCH.
Where is each answer on the September 18 Strands board?
The 6 theme words for Strands on September 18, 2024 are listed below, followed by the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HAMMER | 6 | row 4, column 6 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| KNIFE | 5 | row 8, column 3 | row 8, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| LEVEL | 5 | row 7, column 1 | row 7, column 4 | left to right |
| PLIERS | 6 | row 1, column 2 | row 1, column 5 | left to right |
| SCREWDRIVER | 11 | row 6, column 6 | row 2, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| WRENCH | 6 | row 5, column 4 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| TOOLCHEST | 9 | row 7, column 6 | row 5, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the September 18 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for September 18, 2024 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 9 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 E-P-I-E-S-M, row 2 reads R-V-L-R-M-E, row 3 reads I-D-W-E-A-R, row 4 reads R-H-C-L-R-H, row 5 reads E-S-T-W-O-C, row 6 reads E-V-E-R-O-S, row 7 reads L-I-N-L-E-T, and row 8 reads F-E-K-N-C-H.
How hard was the September 18 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the September 18, 2024 puzzle lands in the average range — above 47% of all Strands puzzles.
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 September 18 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #199 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 September 18 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on September 18, 2024?
The Strands clue for September 18, 2024 is “Handy helpers”, on puzzle #199. It is answered by the spangram TOOLCHEST, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on September 18, 2024?
The 6 Strands theme words for September 18, 2024 are HAMMER, KNIFE, LEVEL, PLIERS, SCREWDRIVER and WRENCH, plus the spangram TOOLCHEST.
What was the big word in the September 18, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for September 18, 2024 is TOOLCHEST, 9 letters long, running from row 7, column 6 to row 5, column 3. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Handy helpers” mean?
The Strands theme “Handy helpers” for September 18, 2024 means TOOLCHEST — 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 September 18, 2024?
Strands puzzle #199 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the September 18, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #199 rates average on a computed index, harder than 47% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on September 18, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 is #199, 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 September 2024, part of the full Strands archive.