NYT Strands is the New York Times’ daily word-find puzzle that asks solvers to locate theme-linked words in a crowded grid. Today’s theme — All Mixed Up — featured words about disorder and rearrangement, plus a spangram that ties the set together into one jokey phrase.

November 18 NYT Strands Theme: “All Mixed Up”

Today’s theme leaned into synonyms for confusion and rearrangement: common vocabulary about disorder, scrambling, and shifting. The puzzle felt cohesive — short, familiar words made the hunt fast, while the spangram delivered a neat payoff that captured the theme in one phrase.

November 18 NYT Strands: Hints

  • Think of synonyms for disorder and things that have been rearranged.
  • Scan for shorter core letter clusters first (like mud or rub) that can expand to full answers.
  • Look for repeating letter patterns — Strands often tucks similar words near each other.
  • Expect diagonal and backwards placements; don’t assume left-to-right.
  • Spangram ties the list together — locating it will reveal the puzzle's unifying phrase.

November 18 NYT Strands: Answers

  • jumbled (a straightforward synonym for mixed).
  • scrambled (often used for rearranged letters or mixed-up items).
  • chaotic (more about total disorder).
  • muddled (implies confusion or lack of clarity).
  • shuffled (suggests mixing or rearranging order).

Spangram

OUT OF ORDER

The spangram 'OUT OF ORDER' uses many letters across the grid; find it to earn bonus points and see how it connects all the 'mixed up' answer words into phrase.

How Strands works

Strands is a daily word search puzzle with a twist:
• You’re given a theme.
• The grid is packed with hidden words tied to that theme.
• Words can run in any direction, including diagonals.
• Once you find all the theme words, you’re done!

This puzzle had 6 theme words.

Tips to become a NYT Strands pro

  1. Start with obvious words. Look for clear connections to the theme first.
  2. Scan diagonals early. Strands loves to hide words at an angle.
  3. Build around found words. Once one word is cleared, the leftover letters often point to the next.
  4. Use hints wisely. Earn them steadily by spotting extra words, then save them for when you’re truly stuck.
  5. Think about synonyms. The theme clue isn’t always literal — broaden your thinking.

Final Thoughts

Today’s puzzle played as a friendly, slightly brainy theme — accessible but rewarding if you scanned diagonals and thought beyond just clothing. How many did you find, and did the cellophane clue catch you by surprise?