Who doesn’t love the daily New York Times games?

From Wordle to the Mini Crossword to Connections, there are a lot of fun options to choose from when playing the Times’ game section. With that being said, we wanted to make a Penn State version of “Strands,” the fairly new addition to the Times’ games.

How to Play

Your first goal is to start finding the theme words in the 6 x 8 grid you’re given. You can either drag or tap each letter as you go. You will know you have the correct word when it is highlighted in blue. No theme words will overlap, and they will fill the board entirely.

Your next goal is to reveal the “spangram,” which is the overall theme of the grid. The spangram letters reveal the theme of the board and must touch two opposite ends of the board. The spangram can be one or two words.

You are only given a small hint to help you get started. All the words fall under a common theme of the spangram! The best way to describe it is a more complete word search.

Onward State has put together a few of our own homemade Strands games for you to try. Each Strand has its own Penn State theme, revolving around people, places, and things Happy Valley-related! If you get them all, you might just be a true Penn Stater.

Happy Strands-ing, folks!

Strands Version One

Strands Version Two

Strands Version Three

Strands Version Four

Strands Version Five