Today's NYT Strands theme is a broad one, like yesterday's, which could leave you struggling to find the answers. What bothered me most about the "on board" theme is that I was convinced I was halfway through solving it, but it was about something else.

Here's how to solve the Strands puzzle from May 14.

Solving the May 14 NYT Strands is a lot easier if you search for the words backwards. Try searching from right to left, or from bottom to top, as five of the eight solution words follow unusual directions. These words are quite common and part of everyday life, although the Spangram may be unusual for some. Try guessing three random words first to unlock a clue, then use those first words to try to find other words that fit the theme.

My first instinct, and probably that of many others, was to look for objects that were on a ship or plane. I tried to find both words, but they weren't there, and neither were other related words like "flight" and "ocean." So it had to be some other kind of board.