We’re dropping the answers for a fresh New York Times Strands puzzle — or at least that's what Insider Gaming alleges they’ve published for Strands Game #873. If you’ve been stuck on the daily word-search grind, take this with a pinch of salt, but the details below are what Insider Gaming lays out for players trying to crack the theme and spangram.
What Was Reported
Insider Gaming reports that Strands Game #873 — the daily NYT Strands puzzle — centers on a theme about excess and overabundance. The outlet provides three in-play hints aimed at helping solvers home in on the correct words:
- “"___, ___! Read all about it."”
- “What you call the remaining Thanksgiving food.”
- “"Save me the drama." A more fitting word than save.”
As starter nudges for players who don’t want the full solution, Insider Gaming suggests trying a few short words first: SOME, LEFT, PLUS, USED, and PULSE. If you want the straight answers, Insider Gaming lists the six theme words they say complete the grid for #873:
- LEFTOVER
- EXTRA
- SPARE
- UNUSED
- SURPLUS
- EXCESS
Insider Gaming also names the spangram that ties the puzzle together as ANDTHENSOME, and reiterates several mechanics of the NYT Strands experience: words under four letters don’t count, correct-theme words turn blue, the spanagram turns yellow when found, and finding three non-theme words will give a hint.
The Source & Credibility
Our account here is drawn from what Insider Gaming published about Strands #873. Take this with a pinch of salt: the site presents these as hints and full solutions for the daily NYT puzzle. We can confirm the reporting includes both gameplay tips and the exact word list above — but we are relying on Insider Gaming’s representation of the puzzle rather than re-solving the New York Times grid ourselves in this piece.
What Insider Gaming Claims
- That the answers and spangram for Game #873 are the specific words listed above.
- That Strands is a New York Times daily word-search game launched in 2024 with a 6×8 grid and mechanics described above.
- That the Strands concept was developed by Juliette Seive and puzzle editing has been overseen by Tracy Bennett.
We’re flagging the above as reported claims. If true, the list will help players stuck on the puzzle; if not, treat it as spoilers you may want to avoid.
What It Could Mean
If Insider Gaming’s list is accurate, Strands #873 leans heavily into synonyms and near-synonyms for surplus — a tidy theme that should make the spangram reveal feel cohesive. For players, the implication is practical: focus searches on variants of “extra” and “leftover” rather than unrelated areas of the grid.
For anyone tracking daily puzzle trends, this reported puzzle is another instance of Strands using a single conceptual family of words (in this case, synonyms for overabundance) to structure a round. That’s consistent with the game mechanics Insider Gaming outlines: words that fit the theme turn blue and the spangram completes the meta-hint.
Of course, you should approach this cautiously — it’s one thing for an outlet to publish hints, another to confirm they match the live NYT grid exactly. If you like spoilers, Insider Gaming’s list is ready to be used; if you prefer to solve blind, now’s the time to stop reading.
Why This Matters
Daily word games like Strands thrive on community sharing and the tension between solving on your own and leaning on hints. What Insider Gaming published — if accurate — is useful for casual solvers who hit a wall and want a quick nudge, and it shows how outlets continue to treat NYT’s puzzle lineup as shareable, newsworthy content.
We’ll keep an eye out for any follow-ups or confirmations, but for now consider Insider Gaming’s list a usable set of hints and spoilers for Strands Game #873. If you prefer to be surprised, stop here; if you want the answers, they appear above — allegedly.
