This article discusses the New York Times Strands puzzle, a word game where players uncover hidden words within a grid of letters, focusing on the January 5, 2025, puzzle. The author, a Minnesota native now residing in Seattle, found the “Cold snap” theme relatable, drawing upon their experience with winter weather. While most of the puzzle’s vocabulary resonated with their Midwestern upbringing, one word stood out as being more characteristic of Seattle winters. The article then delves into the gameplay mechanics and provides hints and solutions for the puzzle.
Strands, the word puzzle at the heart of this piece, challenges players to find hidden words related to a given theme. The objective is to uncover all theme-related words, including a crucial word called the “spangram.” The spangram is a longer word that stretches across the puzzle grid, connecting from one side to the other. Progress in the game is facilitated by finding any words within the grid, not just theme-related ones. Each discovery of three words with four or more letters unlocks a hint, revealing one of the theme words. This encourages players to explore the grid and build momentum towards solving the puzzle.
The author’s strategy involved identifying any four-letter or longer words to unlock hints, revealing the theme words gradually. The words they used for this purpose were WIND, STAR, RATS, HATE, HATES, HATS, DINT, RITE, HAZY, RULE, and RULER. This approach allowed them to progress steadily and uncover the hidden theme words: SNOW, FROST, SLEET, FLURRY, BLIZZARD, and DRIZZLE. These words, all associated with cold weather phenomena, align with the “Cold snap” theme. The final piece of the puzzle, the spangram, was revealed to be WINTERWEATHER, aptly capturing the overall theme.
The spangram, WINTERWEATHER, is located by starting with the leftmost “W” on the top row and tracing the word downwards through the grid. Locating the spangram is a key part of solving the puzzle, as it signifies the successful uncovering of all theme words. The author notes that the number of theme words can vary, unlike their initial assumption of a consistent eight. The successful completion of the puzzle is marked by the utilization of every letter on the board, signifying that all hidden words have been found.
Beyond providing the solutions for the January 5, 2025, puzzle, the article emphasizes the strategic element of Strands. Finding any word, regardless of its relevance to the theme, contributes to progress by unlocking hints. This encourages a comprehensive exploration of the letter grid and facilitates a step-by-step approach towards revealing the theme words. The author’s detailed account of their gameplay, including the words they used to unlock hints, provides practical insight into how to approach the puzzle effectively.
In addition to discussing the Strands puzzle, the article mentions other New York Times puzzles like Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword, and directs readers to CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page for assistance with these. This resource provides further opportunities for puzzle enthusiasts to engage with different word games and challenges. The author’s personal connection to the puzzle’s theme, stemming from their experience with winter weather in both Minnesota and Seattle, adds a relatable dimension to the article and highlights how personal experiences can influence our engagement with such games.
