The New York Times Games Strands puzzle is at it again, teasing your brain with its letter grid full of hidden words. Today's challenge dares you to uncover words tied together by a sneaky theme while using every single letter just once. Even if you think you have cracked it, you'll still need to find all the themed words hidden inside the grid.

As long as you are already familiar with the rules of how to play Strands, this article has everything you need to win today's puzzle. Whether you want subtle nudges, word spoilers, or the whole solution mapped out, this guide's got the goods to turn your frustration into a win.

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The NYT Games Strands Shine On #395 April 2, 2025

NYT-New-York-Times-Games-Strands-April-02-2025

The Strands puzzle for today has the clue Shine On. It has seven things to find: the Spangram and six themed words.

NYT Strands Spangram Tips and Theme Hints

Searching for some spoiler-free help? In the three sections below, you'll see one little clue for the theme that won't contain any of the words that appear inside the puzzle itself.

General Spangram Hint 1

General Spangram Hint 2

General Spangram Hint 3

Spoilers for Today's New York Times Strands

If a spoiler or two would be helpful for you in this puzzle game that can make you smarter, you can find two below. Open the two expandable sections below for two different spoilers.

Spoiler 1

Spoiler 2

The Answer to the NYT Shine On Strands

If you want to see the answer to this innovative puzzle game, you can find it below. This expandable section contains all the themed words and where they go in the puzzle's letter grid.

Today's Strands Explained

If you want to see how all the pieces of this difficult puzzle game go together, you can find all that information below. This explanation will inform you about what the clue, the Spangram, and the words all have in common.

Want to play? Check out the New York Times Games Strands website available on almost any device with a browser.

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strands game

Strands
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Puzzle
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Released
March 4, 2024
Developer(s)
The New York Times Company
Publisher(s)
The New York Times Company
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Genre(s)
Puzzle