NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Monday, May 20 (game #78)

If you found yesterday's Strands puzzle from the NYT to be a little too easy, then fear not – today's is back to normal. If it's too tricky for you, you can read my hints below. If not, you can skip straight to my commentary on the 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 #78) - hint #1 - today's theme

NYT Strands today (game #78) - hint #2 - clue words

NYT Strands today (game #78) - hint #3 - spangram

NYT Strands today (game #78) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

NYT Strands today (game #78) - the answers

The answers to today's Strands, game #78, are…

• JOURNEY
• BEAUTIFUL
• MISFIT
• SWAN
• REFLECTION
• SPANGRAM: UGLYDUCKLING

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

This was a rather fun Strands puzzle, albeit another relatively easy one. Not quite as easy as yesterday's, mind.

The key here was in finding one of the two bird-related words. The theme clue should have given you enough of an idea of what was going on that, if you were like me, you would have scanned the board for the likes of chick, chicken and so on. In my case, I found duck, but it didn't work, then duckling, which also didn't work… and then I spotted the first half and was able to play UGLYDUCKLING for the spangram. 

SWAN was easy after that, as were REFLECTION and BEAUTIFUL. MISFIT and JOURNEY – the latter of which was probably the most obscure of the words, in terms of its relation to the theme – followed by a process of elimination after that.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday 19 May, game #77)

• EYES
• FIRE
• SKULL
• ROSE
• SPARKLES
• BOUQUET
• STARSTRUCK
• SPANGRAM: EMOJIS