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Today's NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for March 31, #393

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 393 for March 31.

Headshot of Gael Cooper
Headshot of Gael Cooper
Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
Expertise Breaking news, entertainment, lifestyle, travel, food, shopping and deals, product reviews, money and finance, video games, pets, history, books, technology history, and generational studies Credentials
  • Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year"​ award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Gael Cooper
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New York Times Strands word game on a phone

Need help with Strands? We've got you.

James Martin/CNET

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Are you a horse person? If not, today's Strands puzzle might be tricky. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story

If you're looking for today's Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET's NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today's Strands puzzle

Today's Strands theme is: That's an equine of a different shade!

If that doesn't help you, here's a clue: Giddyup!

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle's theme. If you're stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

  • POLO, ROOK, ROOKS, SHUCK, SHUCKS, HUCKS, APPLE, BUCK, BUCKS, SPAN, GUNS, NUNS, LIMO, GASP, GAPS.

Answers for today's Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you've got all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

  • ROAN, DAPPLE, BUCKSKIN, CHESTNUT, PALOMINO

Today's Strands spangram

march31strands

The completed NYT Strands puzzle for March 31, 2025, #393.

completed NYT Strands puzzle for March 31 2025 #393

Today's Strands spangram is HORSECOLORINGS.  To find it, start with the H that's four rows over from the left, and five letters down. Then, wind up and down to spell the spangram.