Today's Strands Hints and Clues for "Not your average joe" - Thursday, January 01, 2026

Strands Answers (January 01, 2026): Whether you need a clue or the full answer, we’ve got today’s Strands answers in this article.

If you’re a fan of word puzzles, Strands may be your next favorite NYT game. This daily puzzle tests players to locate themed words in a 6x8 grid. The challenge can range from simple to complex, especially on harder days when the hints feel elusive.

If today’s theme has you stumped, don’t worry—you’re in the right place. We’ll guide you to today’s spangram and make solving the puzzle a breeze.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Only read on if you want to know today's Strands answers.

Today's Strands Theme

Let’s take a moment to see what theme has been provided for today’s challenge.

Today's theme is: NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE

The theme might be tricky to grasp, so here’s a simple breakdown to make it easier:

• This theme revolves around qualities associated with a popular beverage that energizes and invigorates. The descriptions encompass various flavor profiles and sensations that enhance the experience of enjoying this drink. Each term reflects a different characteristic that enthusiasts appreciate, elevating the overall pleasure of consumption.

Today's NYT Strands Hints

If you’re still stuck, don’t worry—here are some hints to help you along:

Strands Hint 1: What are the starting letters of today's words?

There are 8 words including the spangram.

Below are the starting letters & lengths for each of the theme words:

• Starts with "A" and has 8 letters.
• Starts with "B" and has 6 letters.
• Starts with "B" and has 4 letters.
• Starts with "N" and has 5 letters.
• Starts with "S" and has 6 letters.
• Starts with "S" and has 6 letters.
• Starts with "V" and has 7 letters.

And today's spangram starts with "C".

Strands Hint 2: Where are today's words located on today's strands grid?

Here are some clues about their starting positions. For all words except the spangram:

• 1 word starts from the top row
• 1 word starts from the bottom row
• 2 words start from the left edge of the grid
• 1 word starts from the right edge of the grid
• 3 words start from the middle of the grid

Today's NYT Strands Clue Words

If you’re still stuck, don’t worry—here are some hints to help you along:

• GETA
• EFFS
• MACROBIOTE
• FORT
• YITTEN
• OVATELY

The answers are right below, so stop here if you’d rather keep guessing.

Today's NYT Strands Spangram

Drumroll, please! It’s time to reveal today’s Strands spangram:

COFFEE

Today's NYT Strands Answers

If you’re still looking for answers after the spangram, you can find them right here:

• AROMATIC
• BITTER
• BOLD
• NUTTY
• SMOOTH
• STRONG
• VELVETY

Yesterday's NYT Strands Answer (31 December 2025)

Trying to solve yesterday’s Strands (Wednesday, 31 December 2025)? Or maybe you’re in a different time zone? Don’t stress; we have the answers you’re after!

Find yesterday's Strands answers, hints and spangram here.

Yesterday's Strands theme was:

ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER

Yesterday's Spangram was:

ROUNDANDROUND

Yesterday's Strands Answers were:

• CIRCLE
• ORBIT
• PIROUETTE
• ROTATE
• SPIN
• WHIRL

If you need help in playing New York Times' world-famous Wordle, try out our Wordle Solver . In addition to this, we also have other tools to help you stay ahead with NYT games like this Spelling Bee Solver and Connections Helper .

If you're a fan of crosswords, we also have the answers to today's NYT Mini Crossword along with puzzles from other publications.

Edited by Suryadeepto Sengupta