Searching for clues and answers for Strands on Tuesday, March 11, 2025? Continue reading for some hints and strategies, culminating in the solution to today’s puzzle themed around “What’s the magic word?”

For a convenient reference to our daily hints, bookmark this page. Previous hints and solutions can also be found here, so you can check what you might have missed in earlier puzzles.

Below, you’ll find some subtle hints for today’s Strands solutions. Further down this article, the complete spangram and answers will be disclosed. Make sure to scroll carefully and take only the hints you need!

Credit: Strands/NYT

Hint for Today’s Spangram in Strands

Using magic words often involves engaging in a two-word action, such as creating apparitions or producing a rabbit from a hat.

Hint for Theme Words in Today’s Strands

These are iconic magic words that you may hear during a performance, right before the big surprise is revealed.

WARNING: The following sections contain spoilers for today’s Strands puzzle!

Answers for today’s Strands will be revealed now.

What is the spangram for Today’s Strands?

The spangram for today is CASTINGSPELLS.

What are the Theme Words for Today’s Strands?

The theme words for today consist of: PRESTO, ALAKAZAM, TADA, SHAZAM, and ABRACADABRA.

Here’s how the completed board appears:

Credit: Strands/NYT

Insights into Solving Today’s Strands

Let’s search for some magical words! Their meanings could either be obvious (like “abracadabra”) or metaphorical (like “please”).

SHAZAM is found in the bottom left corner. 🔵

To its right, we discover ABRACADABRA. 🔵

PRESTO sits in the upper left corner. 🔵

ALAKAZAM is immediately adjacent on its right side. 🔵

Right underneath is TADA. 🔵

The last piece left to uncover is the spangram: CASTINGSPELLS. 🟡

Strands #373
“What's the magic word?”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🟡

Guide to Playing Strands

The Strands game can be accessed through the New York Times website or via the NYT Games application.

Upon beginning your game, a board filled with assorted letters awaits, along with a clue hinting at the board’s theme, presented as a phrase like “Better with age.” Your task is to identify hidden words within the board that correspond to the theme of the puzzle.

Crossword Meets Word Search

Key to your success is finding the “spangram,” a term that directly signifies the puzzle’s theme. For instance, the spangram for “Better with age” would be FERMENTED, which aptly describes products that improve with time. The spangram spans the entire board, situated either horizontally or vertically. Once located, it will be marked in yellow, making it much easier to complete the remaining challenges.

In Strands, word directions include vertical, horizontal, and diagonal, and each letter can be used only once. There’s a single correct solution. Identifying a puzzle word (like KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI) brings it to life on the board with a blue highlight.

If challenges arise while solving, non-theme words of four letters or more can be submitted for hints. Upon entering three non-theme words, the “Hint” button becomes accessible. Clicking it reveals the letters of one of the theme words. However, you must still connect the highlighted letters accurately to form the word. If a hint has already been utilized on the board and another is invoked, the correct order of that word’s letters will be unveiled.

Winning Strands

Unlike other games like Connections and Wordle, Strands is non-fail. Every guess submitted will either be accurate, earn hint credits, or shake in denial if it’s too brief or invalid. There’s no limit to the number of guesses, nor is there a time constraint.

Victory is yours once all letters on the board have been correctly used, which means identifying both the spangram and the theme words. Upon completing the puzzle, a shareable performance card is issued, showing your progress: blue dots 🔵 represent theme words discovered, the yellow dot 🟡 highlights the spangram found, and a lightbulb 💡 signifies any words you received hints for.