Hints and Solutions for Strands – April 22, 2025
If you’re in search of guidance for today’s Strands, themed “Counter Offers,” this article will provide you with insightful clues and ultimately reveal the solution. Delve in for help!
For easy daily access to our Strands hints, consider bookmarking this page. You’ll also find previous hints there, so you’re covered for any past puzzles you might have missed.
In the sections below, look out for subtle hints on today’s Strands answers. Further down, find the spangram along with full answers. Take your time and pick only the hints you need!
Spangram Hint for Today’s Puzzle
The spangram portrays an assortment of items typically displayed on a large board at dining establishments like Panera or Le Pain Quotidien.
Hints for Theme Words in Today’s Puzzle
This pertains to specific food and drink selections you might find at a counter service food venue.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Today’s Strands Puzzle!
The answers to today’s Strands puzzle are coming up next!
What is Today’s Spangram?
The spangram for today is: CAFEMENU.
What are the Theme Words for Today?
Today’s theme words include: SANDWICHES, CHAI, SOUP, ESPRESSO, JUICES, and PASTRIES.
Here’s what the completed board looks like:
Solving Today’s Strands
The term “counter offer” usually refers to a response during negotiations, but this particular puzzle seems more aligned with retail environments—places where transactions occur at a counter, like a department store or pharmacy.
Words like MEDS, STREP, and SHADE don’t fit the theme. While SANDWICH isn’t included, SANDWICHES certainly is. 🔵
CHAI is positioned next to SANDWICHES. 🔵 This suggests we are indeed looking at items available at a cafe or coffee shop.
The spangram is evident just beneath those two words: CAFEMENU. 🟡
JUICES is located in the lower right corner. 🔵
ESPRESSO can be found just above JUICES. 🔵
SOUP is situated beneath the left section of the spangram. 🔵
Finally, PASTRIES makes an appearance. 🔵
Strands #415 “Counter offers” 🔵🔵🟡🔵 🔵🔵🔵
Engaging with Strands
Strands can be accessed through the New York Times website or their NYT Games app.
Upon starting, a game board showcasing random letters appears, accompanied by a clue hinting at the board’s theme, like “Better with age.” Your task is to uncover hidden words that relate to this theme.
A Blend of Crossword and Word Search
The key word to discover is the “spangram,” which explicitly represents the theme. For instance, if the theme is “Better with age,” the spangram would be FERMENTED, indicative of products that age well. The spangram will span across the board either horizontally or vertically. Identifying this word simplifies completing the entire puzzle.
In Strands, words can flow in any direction—up, down, sideways, and diagonally—with each letter utilized just once. Only a single correct solution exists for the puzzle. When a word like KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI is found, it will be highlighted in blue.
If the puzzle proves challenging, submitting any non-theme words of four letters or more can earn you a hint. After inputting three non-theme words, the “Hint” button becomes active. Clicking it highlights one of the letters in a theme word, although they must still be linked in the correct order. If there’s already a hint on the board, and another hint is used before the word is solved, that word’s letter order will be disclosed.
Strategies for Success in Strands
Unlike games such as Connections and Wordle, failure in Strands is not an option. Any guesses submitted will result in either identifying a correct answer, gaining a hint credit, or experiencing a shaking motion, indicating that the word is either too short or invalid. There are no limits on guesses, nor is there a time constraint.
Success is achieved when all letters on the board have been correctly utilized, including the identification of both the spangram and all theme words. As in other NYT games, upon completing the puzzle, a shareable summary card appears, showcasing your daily performance: blue dots 🔵 represent theme words found, a yellow dot 🟡 indicates the spangram discovery, and a lightbulb 💡 marks words for which you received hints.
