Insights and Solutions for Strands—February 23, 2025
Searching for some guidance and solutions for the Strands puzzle on February 23, 2025? You’ve come to the right place! This post is dedicated to offering hints, strategies, and ultimately, the answer for the puzzle themed “Oh, this old thing?”
To easily reference our daily Strands clues, consider bookmarking this link. This page also provides access to previous clues to catch up on any you might have missed.
Below, you will find some oblique clues leading to today’s Strands answers. Further along in the article, the spangram and answers will be disclosed. Take your time and grab only the hints you find necessary!
Clue for the Spangram in Today’s Strands
Consider a term for rare and niche treasures that enthusiasts typically seek out in vintage shops, garage sales, and online marketplaces like eBay.
Clue for the Thematic Words in Today’s Strands
Think of instances where someone could possess a significant collection of these items. Some might hold worth, particularly if they are in pristine condition.
WARNING: Spoilers Ahead for Today’s Strands
The solutions to today’s Strands puzzle are about to be disclosed.
What is the Spangram for Today’s Strands?
The spangram for today is COLLECTIBLES.
What Are the Thematic Words in Today’s Strands?
The theme words identified for today include: PLUSHIE, COIN, STAMP, COMIC, VINYL, BOBBLEHEAD.
The following shows the finalized Strands board:
Approach to Solving Today’s Strands
The theme of the puzzle reflects a phrase often heard when one receives a compliment about their attire, conveying an air of humility. The application of such sentiment to the puzzle remains to be understood. Perhaps terms like “modest” or “unassuming” could be the key?
The term CIVIL catches my eye, but it’s not a viable solution. Neither does SHINE. I’m considering words such as “retro” and “antique,” but they elude me as well.
The term BOBBLEHEAD located in the lower right seems to fit. 🔵 Could these possibly hint at collector’s items?
There’s STAMP sitting in the bottom left corner. 🔵 It looks like I’m on track.
Next to it is COIN above STAMP. 🔵
UPPER LEFT holds PLUSHIE. 🔵 (Ah, farewell Beanie Babies.)
In the top right corner, COMIC appears. 🔵
Finally, there’s VINYL filling in the gaps. 🔵
Strands #357 “Oh, this old thing?” 🔵🔵🟡🔵 🔵🔵🔵
Guide to Playing Strands
The Strands game can be found on the New York Times website and within the NYT Games application.
As you begin, you will encounter a letter array along with a clue that hints at the board’s theme, represented by a phrase, such as “Better with age.” Your objective is to discover the hidden words within this array that capture the essence of the puzzle’s theme.
A Fusion of Crossword and Word Search
The key word to uncover is the “spangram,” which directly represents the theme. For instance, if the puzzle’s theme were “Better with age,” the spangram would be FERMENTED, indicating things that in fact improve over time. This word will span from one side of the board to the other, either horizontally or vertically. Identifying the spangram will significantly simplify the remainder of the puzzle.
In Strands, words can be arranged vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, and each letter is utilized only once. There is a singular correct answer for the puzzle. Successfully identifying a word (e.g., KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI) will highlight it in blue.
In case of challenges during gameplay, players can submit any non-themed words that are four letters or longer for credit towards a hint. Once you submit three such words, the “Hint” button will activate; clicking it will highlight all letters of one theme word. Players must still connect these highlighted letters in the correct sequence to form one of the themed responses. If there is a hint already displayed on the board and another hint is used before solving for that word, the order of that word’s letters will be revealed.
Strategies for Winning Strands
Unlike games such as Connections or Wordle, Strands does not have a fail condition. When guesses are submitted, players either identify a correct answer, gain hint credit, or experience a shaking text, indicating an invalid or too-short word. There’s no limitation on attempts, nor is there a time constraint.
A win is achieved by correctly utilizing every letter on the board—this includes identifying both the spangram and all thematic words. Similar to other New York Times games, upon completion, a shareable card showcasing performance will appear: blue dots 🔵 mark the theme words found, the yellow dot 🟡 indicates the spangram discovered, while a lightbulb 💡 represents words for which hints were received.
