If you’re hooked on the daily NYT Strands puzzle, you’re not alone. It’s a fresh word game from the New York Times that combines elements of a word search with clever, theme-based twists.
22 January 2026 NYT Strands Theme: “Ode to joy”
Today’s theme leaned fully into positive emotion and celebration. The grid focused on words that describe intense happiness and emotional highs, with a poetic tone throughout. None of the vocabulary felt obscure, but the similar meanings made it tricky to spot them all without careful scanning.
22 January 2026 NYT Strands Hints
- Think of words that describe extreme happiness or emotional highs.
- Look for terms often used in music, poetry, or expressive writing.
- Several answers share similar meanings, so avoid stopping after the first few.
- Scan diagonals carefully — some longer words hide at angles.
- The spangram ties all the joyful emotions into one familiar phrase.
22 January 2026 NYT Strands Answers
- Bliss (pure happiness)
- Ecstasy (overwhelming joy)
- Euphoria (intense excitement or delight)
- Elation (uplifted happiness)
- Rhapsody (expressive joy, often musical)
Spangram
Seventh Heaven
This spangram perfectly sums up the theme, representing a state of ultimate happiness and emotional fulfillment, and neatly connecting all the joyful words hidden throughout the grid.
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!
Each puzzle usually has around 6–8 theme words.
How to get and use hints
Hints are built right into Strands, and they’re super useful if you’re stuck:
- To earn a hint, find any non-theme word of at least four letters in the grid.
- Each valid extra word gives you one hint.
- When you use a hint, one of the theme words will be revealed automatically, helping you move forward.
Pro tip: Don’t just burn hints — use them strategically when the grid feels impossible. Sometimes a single revealed word unlocks the entire board.
Tips to become a NYT Strands pro
- Start with obvious words. Look for clear connections to the theme first.
- Scan diagonals early. Strands loves to hide words at an angle.
- Build around found words. Once one word is cleared, the leftover letters often point to the next.
- Use hints wisely. Earn them steadily by spotting extra words, then save them for when you’re truly stuck.
- Think about synonyms. The theme clue isn’t always literal — broaden your thinking.
Final thoughts
The 22 January 2026 puzzle played at a moderate difficulty, with a feel-good theme that was fun but deceptively tricky due to overlapping meanings. It was a satisfying solve once everything clicked. How many words did you find without hints?
