Seeking clues and answers for the Strands puzzle dated January 22, 2025? Keep reading for some insightful hints and tips, culminating in the solutions themed around “Pixar this.”

To easily return to our daily Strands hints, consider bookmarking this page. This link also provides access to past hints, should you wish to revisit any missed puzzles.

In the sections below, subtle hints will guide you towards today’s Strands answers, with details on the spangram and complete solutions provided further down. Scroll at your leisure, taking only the hints you need!

Credit: Strands/NYT

Spangram Clue for Today’s Puzzle

Instead of featuring live-action, Pixar films fall under this different classification.

Clue for Today’s Theme Words

Titles of Pixar movies.

WARNING: Spoilers Ahead for Today’s Strands Puzzle!

This section will disclose the answers to the Strands puzzle for today.

What is Today’s Spangram?

The spangram for today is ANIMATION.

What are the Theme Words for Today?

The theme words revealed today include: BRAVE, CARS, ONWARD, SOUL, RATATOUILLE, ELEMENTAL.

The completed board appears as follows:

Credit: Strands/NYT

Strategies for Solving Today’s Strands

The initial task centers around identifying Pixar movie names to gauge progress.

BRAVE spans the uppermost row, moving from right to left. 🔵

SOUL occupies the middle of the puzzle. 🔵

Searching for words related to the spangram, it becomes clear that it reads: ANIMATION, from left to right. 🟡

ELEMENTAL is positioned along the leftmost edge. 🔵

The lower right corner holds RATATOUILLE. 🔵

CARS occupies the upper right space. 🔵

To conclude, ONWARD is found as well. 🔵 (Notable for its unfortunate release date in March 2020.)

Strands #325
“Pixar this”
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵🔵🔵

Playing Strands: A Guide

The Strands game is available on the New York Times platform and within the NYT Games app.

Upon starting, players encounter a game board filled with various letters and a clue hinting at the overarching theme—typically presented as a phrase, such as “Better with age.” The challenge lies in uncovering the hidden words that correspond to this theme.

A Unique Blend of Crossword and Word Search

The primary objective is to identify the “spangram,” a word that encapsulates the puzzle’s theme more explicitly. For instance, in a puzzle featuring the theme “Better with age,” the spangram would be FERMENTED, highlighting items that improve over time. The spangram traverses the entire board, either horizontally or vertically, guiding players toward easier completion of the puzzle once it’s identified.

In Strands, words can be arranged in any direction (including diagonals), and each letter can only be utilized once. Therefore, a unique solution exists for every puzzle. When players successfully find a word—such as KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI—it becomes highlighted in blue.

If completion proves challenging, submitting any non-theme words of four letters or more allows players to earn hints. After entering three non-theme words, the “Hint” button activates; using it highlights letters from one of the theme words, assisting in the search. Should there be an existing hint on the board, entering another before resolving that specific word reveals the letter order for that word.

Winning at Strands

Unlike some other games like Connections and Wordle, Strands does not feature a fail condition. Submissions may yield correct answers, contribute to hint credits, or trigger a shake effect, indicating an invalid entry. There are no limits on guesses or time.

The game concludes when all letters on the board have been used correctly, confirming both the spangram and all theme words have been identified. Upon completion, a shareable card detailing performance emerges: blue dots 🔵 mark the theme words uncovered, the yellow dot 🟡 represents the spangram discovery, and a lightbulb 💡 signifies words that received hints.