Strands No. 940: Heart-themed puzzle rated easy with 'Cardiovascular' spangram

Key points

• The theme for Strands No. 940 is 'Have a heart,' focusing on anatomical and physiological terms related to the human heart.
• The spangram is 'Cardiovascular,' running horizontally across the grid.
• The six words to find are Pulse, Cardiovascular, Vein, Artery, Atrium, and Blood Pressure.
• The puzzle is rated 'easy' by the NYT's paid testers.
• Mashable and TechRadar publish full answers, while the NYT provides interactive hints for the first letters and directions of three words.

Background

Strands is a daily word search game by the New York Times, distinct from Wordle and Connections. It requires finding words that can change direction and form quirky shapes, with every letter in the grid used. Recent puzzles have included themes like 'Surprise' (Sept. 14) and 'Undercover' (Sept. 13). This puzzle continues the daily release schedule, with two versions published to accommodate global time zones.

How outlets are covering it

Mashable and TechRadar both provide the complete word list and spangram answer, confirming the 'Cardiovascular' theme. The New York Times, as the game's creator, rates the puzzle as 'easy' and offers interactive hints for three words (starting with 'v', 'a', and 'a') rather than full answers. The Facebook source is a JavaScript challenge page and provides no usable content. All three usable sources agree on the theme and answers, with the NYT adding the difficulty rating and hint structure.

Why it matters

Daily word games like Strands have become a popular form of digital entertainment and mental exercise. Providing hints and answers helps players who are stuck or short on time, while the difficulty rating offers a benchmark for the puzzle's challenge level. The consistent daily release and global time zone accommodation show the NYT's commitment to a worldwide audience.

What to watch

The next Strands puzzle will be released at midnight in the player's local time zone. The NYT publishes two Sidekick articles daily to cover different time zones. Players can check the NYT's Instagram for solving tips and behind-the-scenes content.