Insights and Solutions for the Strands Challenge on March 28, 2025
Searching for hints and solutions regarding today’s Strands puzzle, which revolves around the theme “Wise ones”? Keep reading for valuable clues and the final answers to help you tackle the challenge.
To easily return for daily updates and hints related to Strands, bookmark this page. This resource also contains previous hints, in case you wish to catch up on what you’ve missed earlier.
Below are some indirect hints to assist you with today’s Strands answers. Further down, the spangram and the full answers will be disclosed. Take your time, scroll through, and pick only the hints that assist you!
Clue for Today’s Spangram
When you’re navigating through darkness, something like this can illuminate your way. It can also describe someone regarded as a “thought leader.” (This clue is a bit abstract, so it’s wise to start with the theme words first.)
Clue for Theme Words
Think of synonyms for “wise ones,” such as titles often associated with figures like Aristotle and Plato.
WARNING: Spoilers Ahead!
Now, the answers to today’s Strands puzzle are about to be revealed.
Today’s Spangram
The spangram for today is GUIDINGLIGHT.
Today’s Theme Words
The theme words are: PHILOSOPHER, SAGE, ELDER, VISIONARY, THINKER.
Below is how the board appears once the puzzle is solved:
Approach to Today’s Strands
The phrase “wise ones” brings to mind owls, although that might not be entirely fitting. Perhaps it relates to certain individuals typically considered wise, such as educators. Not quite sure.
Words like HOOPS, LOOPS, PLIGHT, POOLS, THEIR, PRIDE, and SHEEP do not fall within the theme.
Ah, there’s THINKER, found in the bottom right corner. 🔵
In the upper left, there’s PHILOSOPHER. 🔵
Above THINKER, we also have VISIONARY. 🔵
And directly above that is ELDER. 🔵
What’s your opinion?
SAGE occupies the bottom left corner. 🔵
Lastly, the GUIDINGLIGHT appears in the shape of a torch. 🟡 It’s somewhat abstract, yet intriguing.
Strands #390 “Wise ones” 🔵🔵🔵🔵 🔵🟡
Playing the Strands Game
The Strands game is accessible on the New York Times website as well as the NYT Games app.
As you begin, a game board filled with various letters will greet you, along with a thematic clue that offers a hint, such as “Better with age.” Your task is to discover the concealed words within the board that align with the theme of the puzzle.
A Blend of Crossword and Word Search
The primary word to uncover is the “spangram,” which clearly indicates the puzzle’s theme. (For instance, for the theme “Better with age,” the spangram is FERMENTED, as it describes products that indeed improve with age.) The spangram stretches across the entire board, whether horizontally or vertically. When identified, it will be highlighted in yellow, simplifying the completion of the remaining puzzle.
In Strands, words can be oriented in any manner—upward, downward, sideways, or diagonally, with each letter utilized only once. There is a single correct answer. When one of the puzzle’s words, like KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI, is correctly discerned, it will appear highlighted in blue.
If encountering difficulties, any non-theme words comprising four letters or more can be submitted for a hint. Once three non-theme words are provided, the “Hint” button becomes active; clicking it will reveal letters of a theme word, which must then be connected in the correct order. If hints are used consecutively, the letter organization of the respective word will be laid bare.
Winning at Strands
In contrast to Connections and Wordle, Strands eliminates the possibility of losing. Submissions will yield a correct identification, hint credit, or a shake indicating the submitted word is too short or invalid. There are no limits on guesses or time constraints.
A win is achieved when every letter on the board has been utilized, meaning both the spangram and all theme words are found. As in other NYT games, upon solving the puzzle, a shareable card detailing your success will be available: blue dots 🔵 signify theme words identified, the yellow dot 🟡 indicates the spangram found, and a lightbulb 💡 reflects words that received hints.
