Terms & Conditions

Last updated: September 6, 2026

Welcome to StrandsGame.net ("StrandsGame.net," "we," "us," or "our"). These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") explain the rules that apply when you access or use our website, games, puzzles, tools, and related services (collectively, the "Site"). By accessing or using the Site, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree with them, please do not use the Site.

1. About StrandsGame.net

StrandsGame.net is an independent website that provides word puzzles, puzzle-related information, game tools, archives, hints, solutions, and user-created puzzle features. The Site is independently operated and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or officially connected with The New York Times Company, NYTimes, or the official "Strands" game.

References to "Strands," "NYT," "The New York Times," or similar names may be used where necessary to describe or distinguish the type of puzzle or subject being discussed. Such references do not imply an official relationship or endorsement.

2. Acceptance of These Terms

By using the Site, you confirm that you have read and understood these Terms and agree to follow them. If you use the Site on behalf of another person or organization, you represent that you have authority to accept these Terms on their behalf.

3. Use of the Site

You may use the Site for lawful, personal, and informational or entertainment purposes. You agree not to use the Site in a way that violates applicable law, infringes another person's rights, interferes with the operation of the Site, or attempts to gain unauthorized access to systems, accounts, data, or services.

You must not:

• Use the Site for unlawful, fraudulent, abusive, or deceptive purposes.
• Attempt to interfere with, damage, overload, or disrupt the Site or its servers.
• Attempt to bypass security measures or access areas or data that are not intended for you.
• Use automated tools, bots, scrapers, crawlers, or similar methods to copy or systematically collect Site content in a way that is unauthorized or harmful to the Site.
• Copy, reproduce, republish, sell, license, or redistribute substantial portions of the Site or its content without permission.
• Use Site content as a substitute for the Site or in a way that competes unfairly with the services we provide.
• Upload or submit content that is illegal, defamatory, threatening, hateful, sexually explicit, fraudulent, or otherwise inappropriate.
• Upload or submit content that infringes copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights belonging to another person or organization.

4. Puzzles, Games, and Site Features

The Site may provide daily puzzles, archives, difficulty levels, hints, reveals, unlimited-play features, community features, puzzle creation tools, and other interactive functionality. Features may be changed, suspended, limited, or discontinued at any time.

Puzzle answers, clues, hints, categories, word lists, and other game information may sometimes be corrected or updated. We do not guarantee that every puzzle or item of information will always be error-free, complete, or available.

5. User-Created Puzzles and Submissions

Some Site features may allow you to create, publish, share, or otherwise submit puzzles, words, clues, descriptions, comments, or other material ("User Content").

You remain responsible for User Content that you submit. By submitting User Content, you represent that you have the rights necessary to submit it and that its publication and use by the Site will not violate applicable law or another person's rights.

By submitting User Content, you grant StrandsGame.net a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, format, display, publish, distribute, and make that User Content available through the Site and its related services. This license is intended to allow us to operate and promote the relevant Site features. It does not transfer ownership of your original User Content to us.

We may review, edit, restrict, disable, or remove User Content at our discretion, including where we believe it violates these Terms, applicable law, or the rights of another person, or where removal is necessary to protect the Site or its users.

6. Intellectual Property and Content Use

The Site's original design, layout, branding, software, graphics, text, databases, compilations, functionality, and other materials created or arranged by us are owned by or licensed to StrandsGame.net and may be protected by copyright, trademark, and other applicable intellectual-property laws.

Except as expressly permitted by these Terms or applicable law, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, publish, sell, license, create derivative works from, or commercially exploit our original Site materials without our prior written permission.

You may access and use the Site for your personal, non-commercial enjoyment, provided that you comply with these Terms. Normal sharing of links to our pages is permitted, provided that the sharing does not mislead users about ownership, affiliation, or endorsement.

7. Third-Party Content, Services, and Links

The Site may use or link to third-party services, websites, analytics providers, sharing tools, hosting providers, advertising providers, or other technologies. Third-party services are controlled by their respective providers and may have their own terms and privacy policies.

We are not responsible for the content, availability, security, privacy practices, or policies of third-party websites or services. A link to a third-party website does not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of that website or its services.

8. Privacy

Our collection and use of information are described in our Privacy Policy. By using the Site, you acknowledge that you have had an opportunity to review the Privacy Policy and that information may be collected and used as described there, subject to applicable law and your available privacy choices.

9. Advertising and Analytics

The Site may use analytics, cookies, sharing tools, advertising technologies, or similar services. These technologies may collect information about how visitors use the Site, subject to our Privacy Policy and applicable consent requirements.

At the time these Terms were last updated, the Site was not represented as being operated by The New York Times or any other publisher of the official Strands game. Advertising arrangements may change in the future, and applicable disclosures and privacy choices will be updated as reasonably necessary.

10. No Guarantee of Availability or Accuracy

We make reasonable efforts to keep the Site available and useful, but we do not guarantee that the Site will always be available, uninterrupted, secure, or free of errors, defects, viruses, or other harmful components.

We also do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of every piece of information, puzzle, answer, clue, hint, or other material provided through the Site.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Site and its content are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any warranty, right, or remedy that cannot legally be excluded or limited under applicable law.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, StrandsGame.net and its owners, operators, service providers, and contributors will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or other intangible losses arising from or related to your access to or use of, or inability to access or use, the Site.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, our total liability for claims arising from or relating to the Site or these Terms will be limited to the amount, if any, you paid directly to us for the specific service giving rise to the claim during the six months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

These limitations do not apply where prohibited by applicable law and do not limit liability that cannot legally be limited.

13. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless StrandsGame.net and its owners, operators, service providers, and contributors from claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and reasonable expenses arising out of your violation of these Terms, your misuse of the Site, or your User Content, including claims that your User Content infringes another person's rights.

14. Suspension and Termination

We may suspend, restrict, or terminate access to some or all of the Site or its features at any time, including when reasonably necessary to protect the Site, users, third parties, or our rights, or when a user violates these Terms.

Provisions that by their nature should continue after termination, including provisions concerning intellectual property, User Content, disclaimers, limitations of liability, indemnification, and dispute-related matters, will continue to apply.

15. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes to the Site, our services, legal requirements, or our practices. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Site after changes are posted means that you accept the updated Terms, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

16. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms will be interpreted and applied in accordance with applicable law. Any dispute relating to the Site or these Terms will be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts or dispute-resolution process that has authority under applicable law, unless mandatory law provides otherwise.

Before pursuing formal proceedings, we encourage users to contact us so that we can attempt to resolve the issue informally.

17. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted by law and the remaining provisions will continue in effect.

18. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other policies or notices expressly referenced on the Site, constitute the terms governing your use of the Site, except where a separate written agreement applies.

19. Contact

If you have questions, concerns, copyright complaints, or other requests relating to these Terms or the Site, please contact us through our Contact page.

20. Independent Website Notice

StrandsGame.net is an independent website. It is not affiliated with, authorized by, sponsored by, or endorsed by The New York Times Company or the official "Strands" game. All trademarks and names belonging to third parties remain the property of their respective owners.