Technologies
Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for April 7, #400
Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 400 for April 7.

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.
Today’s NYT Strands puzzle cracked me up. If you’re a fan of the fantasy genre, you’ll recognize plenty of the answers for today’s puzzle right away. It also reminded me of Cabin in the Woods, a horror-comedy film. If you need hints and answers, read on.
Need a refresher on how to play Strands? 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: Half-and-half.
If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Creative critters.
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:
- REMIND, MIND, COLA, RATS, FAIR, TEAR, RATE, RIND, TINE, MINE, FIRE, RIFF, PEACE, BRIT, BRIM, FIRER, RICE, PEND.
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:
- SATYR, MERMAN, CENTAUR, GRIFFIN, JACKALOPE.
Today’s Strands spangram
Today’s Strands spangram is HYBRIDCREATURE. To find it, start with the H that starts off the first row up at the top left, and wind over, down and across.
Technologies
Apple’s 20th Anniversary iPhone Could Bring Major Design Overhaul
The iPhone will turn 20 in 2027. Bold changes may be ahead.

Apple is reportedly planning a significant redesign for its 20th-anniversary iPhone, expected to launch in September 2027.
According to Bloomberg, the company is developing a special Pro model featuring more glass elements to mark its two decades of existence. The company is also expected to launch a foldable iPhone alongside the redesigned Pro, but it’s unclear if this would be the first or second iteration. (Reports currently point to a 2026 launch for a foldable iPhone.) Apple remains the only major smartphone manufacturer without a foldable device.
This anniversary-focused strategy could also help reinvigorate iPhone sales, which have been sluggish in recent months and may suffer under the Trump administration’s new tariffs.
In the meantime, the upcoming iPhone 17 is now expected to more closely resemble previous Pro models. The iPhone Pro lineup has looked largely the same since the iPhone 12’s debut in 2020, when Apple introduced 5G compatibility, with changes over time mostly limited to color updates and a metal switch to titanium on the iPhone 15 Pro.
Bloomberg said that although the iPhone 17 Pro will still resemble the 16 Pro, it will feature a redesigned rear camera layout. The camera module is expected to maintain its three-lens setup but be placed on a new panel that spans the entire width of the device with a single-tone finish.
Apple is also expected to introduce a notably thinner model, rumored to be called the iPhone 17 Air.
It’s unclear how Apple will name its 20th-anniversary iPhone, given that the 2027 release would technically fall in line with an iPhone 19 label. The cadence of the numbers shifted over time as Apple experimented with the names, such as launching the iPhone 4S in 2011, rather than calling it the iPhone 5 (the iPhone 5 launched in 2012). The company has previously adjusted naming conventions for milestone moments, such as skipping the iPhone 9 and unveiling the iPhone X to mark its 10th anniversary.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 7, #666
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle for April 7, #666 is, uh, devilish. Here are hints and the answers.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Yep, once again, I struggled with today’s Connections puzzle. None of the categories were especially tricky, but I just didn’t see the relationships until my eyes hurt for staring at it. Maybe you struggled, too? Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.
The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.
Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time
Hints for today’s Connections groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Pulsate steadily.
Green group hint: Think nature.
Blue group hint: Put it on the wall.
Purple group hint: Not hand, but…
Answers for today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: Throb.
Green group: Landforms.
Blue group: Picture hanging needs.
Purple group: Foot ____
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is throb. The four answers are beat, pound, pulse and thump.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is landforms. The four answers are cape, crater, gorge and ridge.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is picture hanging needs. The four answers are hammer, hanger, level and nail.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is foot ____. The four answers are ball, hills, locker and print.
Toughest Connections puzzles
We’ve made a note of some of the toughest Connections puzzles so far. Maybe they’ll help you see patterns in future puzzles.
#5: Included «things you can set,» such as mood, record, table and volleyball.
#4: Included «one in a dozen,» such as egg, juror, month and rose.
#3: Included «streets on screen,» such as Elm, Fear, Jump and Sesame.
#2: Included «power ___» such as nap, plant, Ranger and trip.
#1: Included «things that can run,» such as candidate, faucet, mascara and nose.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, April 7
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 7.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword has a kind of meta clue, with 3-Down, which asks for a word describing someone who’s «in need of a hint.» You might be in need of a few hints — I found the clue for 5-Across especially oddly worded and tough to decipher. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Price to pay
Answer: COST
5A clue: The five unique letters of THE AREA HERE, fittingly
Answer: EARTH
6A clue: Uncomfortable thing to witness a couple do in public
Answer: ARGUE
7A clue: Gwen ___, Spider-Woman’s alter ego in the «Spider-Verse» movies
Answer: STACY
8A clue: Give a tug
Answer: YANK
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Magna ___
Answer: CARTA
2D clue: Instrument played at the ballpark
Answer: ORGAN
3D clue: In need of a hint
Answer: STUCK
4D clue: Nonbinary pronoun
Answer: THEY
5D clue: Difficulty level for a newbie gamer
Answer: EASY
How to play more Mini Crosswords
The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.
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