Insights and Solutions for Strands | March 29, 2025
Explore the clues and answers revolving around today’s Strands puzzle, centered on the theme of “Power plants.”
If you wish to revisit our daily Strands hints, bookmark this link. This page also archives past hints, allowing you to catch up on any you may have missed.
Below are some vague hints pertaining to today’s Strands answers. Further down, the complete spangram and answers will be disclosed, so scroll at your leisure and take only the hints you require!
Hint for the Spangram
Consider the dietary components that those who refrain from consuming meat or animal products would consume to foster muscle growth.
Hint for the Theme Words
Look for substantial and satisfying plant-based protein substitutes.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
The forthcoming section reveals the answers for today’s Strands puzzle.
Today’s Spangram
The spangram for today is VEGANPROTEINS.
The Theme Words are:
The identified theme words include: TEMPEH, SEITAN, YEAST, SEEDS, NUTS, and BEANS and TOFU.
Here’s what the completed puzzle board looks like:
Solving Today’s Strands
The current puzzle likely highlights plants often revered as “superfoods” due to their nutrient density.
Observing the word PROTEINS at the center gives a clue—it relates to the spangram of VEGAN, merging to form VEGANPROTEINS. 🟡 Hence, we should explore options like “tempeh” or “seitan.”
Yes, TEMPEH surfaces in the top left segment. 🔵
SEITAN can be seen right below it. 🔵
YEAST (think of nutritional yeast, a fabulous popcorn topping) appears in the bottom left corner. 🔵
TOFU can be found in the bottom right segment. 🔵
Above TOFU sits BEANS. 🔵
NUTS is positioned above that. 🔵
Lastly, SEEDS rounds out the list. 🔵
Strands #391 "Power plants" 🟡🔵🔵🔵 🔵🔵🔵🔵
Playing Strands
Access the Strands game on the official New York Times website or the NYT Games app.
Upon starting, a game board filled with an array of letters will be presented, along with a clue that hints at the theme of the board, typically a phrase like “Better with age.” Your challenge is to uncover hidden words that correspond to the theme.
A Blend of Crossword and Word Search
The primary goal is to identify the “spangram,” a term that more explicitly conveys the puzzle’s theme (for instance, FERMENTED is the spangram for a puzzle themed “Better with age”). This spangram stretches across the entire game board, whether horizontally or vertically. When located, it will be highlighted in yellow, often simplifying the resolution of the remaining puzzle.
In Strands, words can be formed in any direction (vertical, horizontal, diagonal), and each letter can only be utilized once. There is one definitive solution for each puzzle. When any word is accurately identified (e.g., KOMBUCHA, MISO), it will be highlighted in blue.
If assistance is needed, any non-theme words of four letters or longer can be submitted for a hint. Submitting three such words activates the “Hint” button, which upon clicking, will highlight letters in one of the theme words. It’s essential to link these letters together in the correct order to form the respective theme word. If an additional hint is employed before solving for a previously hinted word, that word’s letter arrangement will be exposed.
How to Win Strands
Unlike some other NYT games, Strands cannot be failed. Submissions may yield a correct answer, credit toward a hint, or a shake of the text indicating an invalid or too-short entry. There’s no limit to guesses, nor a countdown timer.
Victorious completion is achieved when all letters on the board have been utilized correctly, meaning the identification of both the spangram and all theme words is successful. Upon solving the puzzle, a shareable card displays your performance for the day: blue dots 🔵 indicate theme words located, yellow dot 🟡 signifies the spangram found, and a lightbulb 💡 highlights words that received hints.
