NYT Strands for June 25, 2025: Today’s Puzzle Theme, Hints, Answers, and Spangram
NYT Strands for June 25, 2025: Theme is "Worth the splurge." Spangram is LUXURGOODS. Answers include JEWELRY, WATCH, HANDBAG, and more.
image for illustrative purpose
The New York Times continues to build on its long tradition of puzzle innovation with Strands, its latest word game that challenges players with daily themed puzzles. Much like its predecessors — The Mini Crossword, Spelling Bee, Wordle, and Connections — Strands is fast becoming a daily ritual for puzzle lovers.
A Brief Look Back
The Times published its first crossword puzzle on February 15, 1942, in the Sunday Magazine — a milestone credited to puzzle creator Charles Erlenkotter and editor Margaret Farrar. That debut marked the beginning of a rich puzzle legacy. Over the decades, the publication has launched several popular games: Mini Crossword in 2014, followed by Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed, Tiles, and Wordle in 2022. Connections and now Strands have since joined the lineup.
Today’s NYT Strands: Theme and Hints (June 25, 2025)
Theme: “Worth the splurge”
Today's puzzle theme centers around indulgent, high-end items — the kind that combine luxury, craftsmanship, and often, a hefty price tag.
Spangram Hint:
Items that represent premium quality, prestige, and price — often aspirational or status-driven.
Additional Word Hints:
- Hint #1: Decorative items crafted from precious metals and gemstones.
- Hint #2: A fashionable accessory that also keeps time.
- Hint #3: Fragrant and often packaged in ornate bottles.
- Hint #4: A stylish personal item used to carry essentials.
- Hint #5: A high-end vehicle with a retractable roof.
NYT Strands Answers for June 25, 2025
- JEWELRY
- WATCH
- PERFUME
- HANDBAG
- CONVERTIBLE
Today’s Spangram:
LUXURGOODS
The Spangram stretches across opposite edges of the grid, encapsulating the puzzle’s theme — luxury goods that many consider splurge-worthy.
What is NYT Strands and How to Play?
Strands is a word search-style puzzle game that blends elements from Connections, Spelling Bee, and traditional crosswords. Each day, players face a 6-by-8 grid of letters with a hidden theme. Your objective? Identify the Spangram and uncover all related theme words.
How It Works:
- Connect letters in any direction — vertically, horizontally, or diagonally — to form words.
- Theme words will appear in blue.
- The Spangram, which touches two opposite sides of the grid, will appear in yellow.
- For every three unrelated words found, the game provides a hint toward a theme word.
Tips for Solving:
- Focus first on discovering the theme — the Spangram often holds the key.
- Don’t ignore stray words; even non-theme words help unlock clues.
- Think broadly: the game often uses cultural references, common objects, or expressions tied to the theme.
