NYT strands for April 23, 2025: Theme, clues, answers & today’s Spangram

The New York Times’ puzzle playground has a new crowd favorite—Strands, a brain-teasing game that blends elements of crosswords, Wordle, and Connections into one fun daily challenge. Each day, a fresh theme is revealed, and players are tasked with uncovering hidden words from a 6x8 letter grid. Among them? One special word that ties it all together—the Spangram.

Today’s Theme:

"What a softie!"

This theme had puzzle-solvers thinking about things that are cute, cozy, or just plain soft.

Today's Hints:

If you’re still scratching your head, here are some gentle nudges:

Spangram Hint: Think of something that’s not quite clear—hard to see, hear, or understand.

Hint #1: A cozy item you wear on your feet indoors.

Hint #2: A fuzzy fruit with a sweet orange-red glow.

Answers for April 23:

Here’s the full list of theme words hidden in today’s puzzle:

SLIPPERS

PEACH

CATERPILLAR

CHENILLE

DUCKLING

And the Spangram that ties the whole theme together?

GETFUZZY

What is Strands and How Do You Play?

Strands is the newest brain game from the NYT lineup—following the legacy of classics like the Crossword (since 1942!), the Mini, Spelling Bee, and Wordle. With 48 letters on the board, your goal is to identify themed words by connecting letters in any direction—horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

Blue Words are theme words

Yellow Word is the Spangram, a two-sided clue that unlocks the theme

As a bonus, discovering off-topic words earns you clues for trickier theme ones!

So whether you’re a seasoned puzzler or just getting started, Strands offers a fresh way to challenge your vocabulary and deduction skills—one soft clue at a time.