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Why clean your pool yourself when you can have a robot do it?

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, July 8 (game #492).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #493) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Party time!

NYT Strands today (game #493) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• FINAL
• SONNET
• CLOSE 
• POET
• TOOL
• BURNT

NYT Strands today (game #493) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #493) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 6th column

Last side: bottom, 1st column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #493) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #493, are…

• BALLOON
• BUNTING
• PENNANT
• CONFETTI
• STREAMER
• SPANGRAM: DECORATIONS

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 hint

Like many families, mine has a box in a cupboard filled with DECORATIONS that only see the light of day a few times a year, including BUNTING and banners.

It’s odd how a birthday doesn’t feel like a birthday if we don’t put these out the night before the special day, regardless of whether anyone is having a party or not – if they are, then the BALLOONs come out, too.

Unlike Christmas with its 12th night deadline, there is no official time when you must take down birthday cards and decorations. For some families it may be the day after, others may leave them up to keep the spirit alive.

I think this may be why in our house people have birthdays but there’s also a loose agreement that they have a birthday week too. It’s a lovely thing, why not let it last a bit?

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, July 8, game #492)

• TIME
• CHANGE
• KEYS
• MOMENT
• BEDROOM
• HANDS
• PARTS
• TIRES
• SPANGRAM: SPARES

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, July 8 (game #1261).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1262) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1262) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #1262) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1262) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 3.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1262) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• P

• P

• G

• O

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1262) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1262, are…

• SHIRE
• SIXTH
• SINGE
• IMAGE

Having a starter word that begins S-I was hugely beneficial today as it meant that two words were already on their way: SIXTH and SINGE. 

The in the wrong place H and T convinced me that the word had to end TH and after getting that far there really was just one option. X marks the spot.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1262) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1262, are…

• DRAPE
• DIMLY
• DINGY
• NAVAL

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1261, Tuesday, 8 July: PLIED, PRANK, GAWKY, OXIDE
• Quordle #1260, Monday, 7 July: DROLL, TRUCE, TWIRL, SINCE
• Quordle #1259, Sunday, 6 July: AMPLY, SPAWN, EXTOL, RIDGE
• Quordle #1258, Saturday, 5 July: HAVEN, SNAKE, DREAM, TORUS
• Quordle #1257, Friday, 4 July: FAVOR, SKUNK, GAWKY, FLUFF
• Quordle #1256, Thursday, 3 July: DANCE, EYING, GLAZE, EGRET
• Quordle #1255, Wednesday, 2 July: INANE, SCOUR, ELITE, ULCER
• Quordle #1254, Tuesday, 1 July: REBAR, YEARN, FORTH, CROWD
• Quordle #1253, Monday, 30 June: INGOT, INFER, TAPIR, CLUED
• Quordle #1252, Sunday, 29 June: MIRTH, APTLY, SCRUB, SMACK
• Quordle #1251, Saturday, 28 June: AWOKE, SMOKY, DEVIL, SWING
• Quordle #1250, Friday, 27 June: SPEAK, EAGLE, AVERT, SUING
• Quordle #1249, Thursday, 26 June: SLUMP, REBUS, GUAVA, MONEY
• Quordle #1248, Wednesday, 25 June: SOGGY, CLASH, MODEM, SQUAD
• Quordle #1247, Tuesday, 24 June: QUALM, SQUIB, AXIAL, FLACK
• Quordle #1246, Monday, 23 June: PIXEL, FJORD, STEAL, EXIST
• Quordle #1245, Sunday, 22 June: WREST, CRAZE, PAPAL, SCION
• Quordle #1244, Saturday, 21 June: BUDDY, GROUT, BEGIN, MADAM
• Quordle #1243, Friday, 20 June: BRAID, DULLY, HASTE, LURID

The Marshall Major V quickly have become my go-to headphones for all situations, and they're a steal for Prime Day at only $100.

The versatile Chefman Everything Maker can make grilled cheese, pizza, pancakes and more, and it's marked down to $45.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was appointed to the court by President Biden, dissented.

(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images and Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 9, No. 289.

Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle for July 9, No. 1,481.

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for July 9, No. 759.

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for July 9, No. 493.

Commentary: Don't put baby in the Squid Game.

One Guadalupe River flood gauge near Kerrville and Camp Mystic recorded a rise of more than 25 feet in two hours.

Electronics and back-to-school supplies are expected to top many shoppers' lists.

(Image credit: Damian Dovarganes)

The Hotel Oloffson in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, long a haven for artists and writers, poets and presidents, a symbol of Haiti's troubled politics and its storied past, has been destroyed by gangs.

(Image credit: Don Bartletti/Los Angeles Times)

Our CNET experts have just the thing for you if you're looking for recommended indoor cameras across a variety of brands, such as Ring, Nest, Blink and Eufy.

For nearly twenty years, most air travelers in the U.S. have been required to remove their shoes when going through security. That requirement seems to be ending.

(Image credit: Robyn Beck)

I thought the Skullcandy Method 360 earbuds were a good deal at their launch price of $100. They're now down to $76 -- the lowest price we've seen yet.

I'm not scared of worms, I just don't like them and want them to go away.

Emergency responders kept hope alive as they combed through fallen trees and other debris that littered the hard-hit central Texas communities on the fifth day after devastating floods killed more than 100.

(Image credit: Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

While the company's ongoing legal battles with Apple and Google continue, the beef with Samsung over app blocking has been put to rest.