Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answer and Help for April 23 #781

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 features a very stereotypical New York Times topic. The answers are all areas over which ancient gods and goddesses were said to rule. Yeah, it’s not exactly straightforward. And some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so 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.

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Provinces of the Pantheon.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Gods and goddesses.

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:

ROMA, DOME, THUD, DUNE, MOTE, DOTE, DAME, NAME, WORLD, UNDER

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:

LOVE, WISDOM, HARVEST, THUNDER, MARRIAGE, UNDERWORLD

Today’s Strands spangram

The completed NYT Strands puzzle for April 23, 2026.

NYT/Screenshot by CNET

Today’s Strands spangram is DOMAIN. To find it, start with the D that’s five letters down on the far-left row, and wind across.

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Stephan Dorsey

Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.

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Recent Reviews

Your iPhone has a secret button on the back – here’s how to unlock it

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

ZDNET’s key takeaways

Back Tap lets you trigger actions with double or triple taps.
You can customize it to open apps, controls, or shortcuts.
It works on most iPhones and even through many cases.

The iPhone has a button on its back. You can’t see it, but with a double or triple tap on the Apple logo, you can open an app, access a system menu, or launch a shortcut. This feature is called Back Tap, and it’s actually been available since iOS 14. The best part is it’s completely customizable. You can set it to do whatever you want, and change it at any time.

I first tried Back Tap years ago, and it quickly became one of those features I use every day. Instead of swiping through menus or hunting for apps, I just tap the back of my phone. It’s one of the fastest ways to get things done.

How to use Back Tap on iPhone

What you’ll need: An iPhone 8 or newer running the latest version of iOS.

1. Go to Accessibility in Settings — Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

2. Open the Touch menu — Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Scroll to the bottom and select Back Tap. Now you can start customizing the back button on your iPhone.

3. Select Back Tap — Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

You’ll see two options: Double Tap and Triple Tap. You can use one or both, and assign different actions to them.

Choose Double Tap or Triple Tap — Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

There should be a long list of actions available under Double Tap and Triple Tap, including system controls, accessibility features, and even some apps. Pick one, and it’ll instantly be active. Just tap the back of your phone to trigger it.

Tip: Tap directly on the Apple logo (or near the center of the back of your phone if you’re using a case), and be quick and deliberate with your taps.

5. Assign an action — Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

What can I do with Back Tap?

Back Tap supports a wide range of actions, but the best setup really depends on how you use your phone.

At a basic level, you can control system features, like opening Control Center and Notification Center. You can also trigger a screenshot, lock rotation, or adjust volume. Accessibility features are available as well, including VoiceOver, Zoom, AssistiveTouch, and Background Sounds. Popular apps are supported, too, including ChatGPT, Snapchat, Amazon, and more.

Also: Your iPhone’s USB-C port is so versatile – 14 features beyond charging

The most powerful option is probably Shortcuts. If you create a custom shortcut, Back Tap can run it instantly. That means you can combine multiple actions into one tap. For example, you could open ChatGPT and start a voice session, or take a screenshot and save it to a specific folder. This is where Back Tap goes from convenient to genuinely useful and fun to customize.

You get both double tap and triple tap, so you can use them differently. For example, you might use double tap for something you do constantly, like opening Snapchat, and triple tap for something less frequent, like triggering a shortcut.

Back Tap shortcuts — Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Will Back Tap work with the case on my iPhone?

Yes. It works through most cases, including thicker ones, though sensitivity can vary slightly. If you have a PopSocket or another grip covering the back of your phone, however, you likely won’t be able to trigger Back Tap.

Also: How to turn on Lockdown Mode on iPhone