Insights and Solutions for Strands Puzzle on January 30, 2025
Explore the clues and tips below for today’s Strands puzzle, themed around “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”
If you want to revisit hints for Strands regularly, save this page as a bookmark. You can also access previous hints there, allowing you to catch up on any past puzzles you might have missed.
In this article, subtle hints will guide you towards today’s Strands answers. Keep scrolling down for more information, including the spangram and the final answers. Take only as much as you need from the hints provided!
Clue for the Spangram in Today’s Strands Puzzle
The poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” shares its author with “The Road Not Taken.” You’ll find his name hidden within the spangram.
Hint for the Theme Words in Today’s Strands Puzzle
Refer to terms from the poem tied to the puzzle’s theme. For more details, click here.
WARNING: Spoilers Ahead for Today’s Strands Puzzle!
Prepare for the unveiling of today’s puzzle solutions.
What is the Spangram for Today’s Strands?
The spangram for today is FROSTPOEM.
What are Today’s Theme Words in Strands?
This puzzle features the following theme words: FROZEN, LAKE, BELLS, SHAKE, DEEP, LOVELY, DARK, SLEEP.
Here is the completed Strands board:
Tips for Solving Today’s Strands
The puzzle is based on the poem by Robert Frost, suggesting a strong connection with its vocabulary.
FROZEN is located in the upper left. 🔵
Directly below, you’ll find LAKE. 🔵
FROST appears further down, making it a component of the spangram. Confirmed: FROSTPOEM! 🟡
In the center, the word LOVELY stands out beneath the spangram. 🔵
To the left is DEEP. 🔵
On the right side of LOVELY lies DARK. 🔵
In the bottom right, SLEEP can be found. 🔵
Above it, BELLS runs along the top. 🔵
And finally, SHAKE appears as well. 🔵
Strands #333 “Stopping by woods on a snowy evening” 🔵🔵🟡🔵 🔵🔵🔵🔵 🔵
Guide on How to Play Strands
The Strands game is accessible on the New York Times website and the NYT Games app.
Upon starting, a game board filled with random letters appears alongside a clue related to the puzzle’s theme—typically a phrase, such as “Better with age.” Your objective is to uncover hidden words that align with this theme within the letter arrangement.
Word Search Meets Crossword
A crucial element to locate is the “spangram,” which directly signifies the puzzle’s theme (for example, with a theme like “Better with age,” the spangram would be FERMENTED). The spangram will occupy either a horizontal or vertical line across the board. Identifying this word usually simplifies the remaining puzzle significantly.
Words in Strands can be arranged in any direction (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal), and each letter can only be used once. There’s a single correct answer for each puzzle. When you successfully find a theme word (like KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI), it appears highlighted in blue.
If solving proves challenging, submitting non-theme words of four letters or longer can earn hints. With three non-theme words submitted, the “Hint” option unlocks. By selecting it, you will see one letter of a theme word highlighted, though you will still need to align these letters in the correct sequence. If hints are already provided, acquiring another hint will reveal the letter arrangement of a previously hinted word.
Strategies for Winning Strands
Unlike other games such as Connections and Wordle, failure is not a possibility in Strands. Each guess either identifies a word correctly, accrues hint points, or displays a shake effect for invalid words (typically due to being too short). There’s no cap on guesses, nor is there a timer.
A victory is achieved by correctly utilizing every letter on the board, signifying that all theme words and the spangram have been discovered. As with other NYT games, a shareable summary card appears post-solution, showing your performance for the day: blue dots 🔵 for the theme words found, a yellow dot 🟡 for when the spangram was identified, and a lightbulb 💡 for any words obtained through hints.
