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 Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, July 9 (game #858).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 #859) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?• Today's NYT Strands theme is… I think…NYT Strands today (game #859) - hint #2 - clue wordsPlay any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.STAYSTORYSNAKELEEKROBEHATENYT Strands today (game #859) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?• Spangram has 11 lettersNYT Strands today (game #859) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?• First side: left, 1st row• Last side: right, 6th rowRight, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.NYT Strands today (game #859) - the answers(Image credit: New York Times)The answers to today's Strands, game #859, are…BELIEVEHISTORYHASTEGOODMERRYLOVESENSESPANGRAM: WECANMAKEITMy rating: HardMy score: PerfectIs it possible to look at today’s theme and not say to yourself “... therefore I am”? Apparently it is, because the words that complete “I think…” here were instead the more seemingly everyday “we can make it”.Thinking that I was missing out on some cultural reference point I googled all of today’s game words, along with the spangram, and the AI result claimed that all the words feature in the 17th-century Irish Jacobite love song, Mo Ghile Mear (My Gallant Hero). And there was me thinking it was from Ted Lasso or a Taylor Swift song I’d not heard of.Despite my ignorance I was able to navigate the game without using any hints.Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, July 9, game #858)STICKGLOSSSTAINLINERTINTBALMPLUMSPANGRAM: KISSANDMAKEUPWhat 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.