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 is a fun one. Hint: The words are paired, and once you find one, it’s pretty easy to spot its match. If you need hints and answers, read on.

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: We beg to differ.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Pairs of opposites.

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:

• DATE, RAFT, FLIX, QUOTE, MILE, BILE, PITS, POST, SUIT, SUITE, FACT, TRACT

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 have 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:

• BOLD, TIMID, NOISY, QUIET, RIGID, FLEXIBLE

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is OPPOSITESATTRACT. To find it, look for the O that’s the farthest letter to the right on the bottom row, and wind over and up.

Toughest Strands puzzles

Here are some of the Strands topics I’ve found to be the toughest in recent weeks.

#1: Dated slang, Jan. 21. Maybe you didn’t even use this lingo when it was cool. Toughest word: PHAT.

#2: Thar she blows! Jan.15. I guess marine biologists might ace this one. Toughest word: BALEEN or RIGHT. 

#3: Off the hook, Jan. 9. Similar to the Jan. 15 puzzle in that it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK.

Most of us probably have a set of headphones kicking about — whether they’re earbuds or over-ear. There’s no escaping the need! If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to refresh your audio setup, this might be it.

Amazon is currently running a buy one, get one free deal on select Baseus models, with prices starting at just $130. The Baseus Inspire XC1 clip-on earbuds are listed at $130, while the Baseus Inspire XH1 headphones go for $150 — and both qualify for the buy-one-get-one-free offer.

It’s a great deal at a time when personal audio gear usually only seems to get more expensive. This offer is only around for a limited time, and there’s no telling how fast stock will move.

Both models have different strengths depending on how you like to listen. The Inspire XC1 earbuds are designed for open-ear comfort, with a lightweight clip-on fit, IP66 water resistance and up to 40 hours of battery life with the charging case. They’re built for staying aware of your surroundings while still delivering clear audio, which makes them a solid pick for running, commuting or long daily use.

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The Inspire XH1 headphones take the opposite approach with adaptive noise cancellation to block distractions. You get week-long battery life (up to 100 hours without ANC, 65 with it on), fast charging that adds 12 hours in just 10 minutes and comfort-focused build with soft padding. Call quality seems to be another focus here, thanks to a five-mic array with AI-powered noise reduction that keeps your voice clear in noisy places.

Looking for something different? We’ve rounded up the best open earbuds of 2025 and the best headphones of 2025 for you to browse.

Why this deal matters

Good audio gear does not come cheap, and buy-one-get-one deals are rare. With the holiday season quietly creeping up on us, this Baseus deal might be a great way to start planning ahead and check a gift (or two) off your list while saving some money.

With Apple’s new iPhone 17 family of devices set to land on doorsteps this Friday, we know excitement is at fever-pitch. And while you do get a USB-C cable in the box, it’s only a short one. If, like us, you prefer to avoid being tethered to an AC outlet, a longer 5-foot cable is a must-have.

Fortunately, Amazon is offering up to 53% off none other than Beats USB-C cables right now. That means you can get a 5-foot cable for just $9, if you’re quick. We’re not sure how long this deal will last, so you’re better off shopping sooner rather than later.

Unlike Apple, Beats offers its USB-C cables in a variety of colors, instead of that boring gray-white we’re all so familiar with. The cheapest colorway here is the surge stone, or beige, but you can get black, blue or red if you’re willing to pay a few dollars more. There’s a rather stunning red that’s hard to ignore, too.

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These cables are designed to be durable and tangle-free thanks to their braided finish, and they work with non-Apple devices such as Android phones just fine. They also offer charging speeds of up to 60 watts, so they’re good for phones, tablets and a ton of laptops to boot.

The only downside we can see is that these cables top out at USB 2.0 data transfer speeds. But if you’re just looking to charge, they’re hard to beat. Especially at this price.

Why this deal matters

You can never have too many USB-C cables, and this is your chance to grab more at a great price. These cables aren’t cheap, no-name ones, either, and you even get to choose your own color.