Strands is not a word search

Letters link in any direction, up, down, sideways, diagonal, and a word can change direction mid-way. Every letter in the grid belongs to some answer.

“Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer.”

The spangram rule

One special word or phrase sums up the day's theme and stretches all the way across the grid, either horizontally or vertically.

Harder than Wordle

Strands gives you an opaque theme hint and no word list, so it usually eats 10 minutes or more compared with Wordle or Connections.

Today's theme hint

The clue is "Oh My Gosh!!" and the answers are all about being surprised. Plainly put, they are adjectives describing fright or excitement.

“These words are adjectives used to describe fright or excitement.”

Spangram: vertical

If you only want a nudge, here it is: today's spangram runs vertically. The answer itself is "That's shocking."

“Today's spangram is That's shocking.”

The full word list

Exclaim, Shudder, Freeze, Gasp, Start, Recoil. Six words, every one a reaction you'd have to a loud noise behind you.