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The New York Times’ Strands has become a quick favorite among word puzzle lovers, combining classic word search mechanics with thematic turns. Here we parse the latest solutions, tropes and strategies to help you crack this delightful game.
Answers for Strands on February 12, 2025
Theme: Don’t stop believin’
Today’s puzzle is inspired by the lyrics to Journey’s 1981 hit song Don’t Stop Believin’. The spangram — a word that expands the grid and represents the theme — is JOURNEY, referencing both the band and the title of the song235.
- Theme Words:
- SMALL
- TOWN
- GIRL
- LONELY
- WORLD
- TOOK
- MIDNIGHT
- TRAIN
Those words come verbatim from the song’s opening lines:
“Just a small town girl, livin’ in a lonely world / She took the midnight train going anywhere”58. The spangram JOURNEY runs from Column 6, Row 4 to Column 1, Row 79, across the center portion of the grid.
Key Hints:
The spangram clue: “Well-traveled rock group”8.
Other hints included “Streetlight people” (a reference to the song’s lyrics)5.
Answers to Yesterday’s Strands: Feb. 11, 2025
Theme: Attention all shoppers
This week’s puzzle featured areas of a big box store, with the spangram BIGBOX—a slang term for hypermarketers like Walmart or Costco111
- Theme Words:
- GARDEN
- BATH
- TOYS
- KITCHEN
- BEAUTY
- HOME
- ELECTRONICS
The spangram BIGBOX was oriented horizontally from Coordinate (Column 3, Row 5) to (Column 5, Row 51). Store departments like GARDEN (a yard area) and ELECTRONICS (appliances) correlate to common words111.
How to Play NYT Strands
Strands asks players to find themewords and a spangram in a 6×8 letter grid. Key rules include:
Flexibility of Direction: Words can snake vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, turning direction mid-word35.
Spangram Requirement: The theme must tie together with a special word that spans the grid (left-right or top-bottom). Like the word “August,” it may be a proper noun, unlike theme words5.
Hint system: You receive a hint when you submit three valid non-theme words, by spelling out letters in one of the theme words38.
Why Strands Stands Out
Date: October 22, 2023 Lyrical Themes: Recent puzzles, like February 12’s Journey-themed game, showcase creative integration of pop culture 58.
Daily Variety: From retail sections (BIGBOX) to greatest hits (ANTHEMIC), the theme types keep it fresh19.
No Stress: In contrast to Wordle, Strands does not impose a time constraint and permits unlimited guesses, making it suitable for any player2.
Tips for Solving Strands
Begin with the Theme: Take the hint (like Don’t stop believin’) and think about words related to that.
Hunt the Spangram First: Solving it reveals the heart of a theme, which makes the remaining words simpler9.
Leverage Non-Theme Words: Enter non-theme 4+ letter words for hints8
That’s it for October 2023! Whether parsing song lyrics or store departments, the game’s evolving themes and strategic depth make it a standout in the NYT Games lineup. Visit the NYT Games site for daily hints, or consult our cited sources for step-by-step guides18.
Happy puzzling! 🧩
