Daily New York Times presents cryptic clues and solution for crossword puzzle on Friday, 9th May, 2025.
Hey there, adventure seeker! Looking for some help with today's Strands puzzle? You've stumbled upon the right place. If you want to bookmark this hint-filled page for daily Strands assistance, go right ahead!
Below, I've shared some cryptic clues to help you crack the code on May 9, 2025's Strands challenge, themed "Outsiders."
Hint for the spangram in today's Strands puzzle:
Gear found at REI, Patagonia, or Summit Hut. (Hint: No bear spray needed!)
Hint for the theme words in today's Strands puzzle:
Stuff you'd take on a multi-day hiking trip through the wilderness.
Spoiler Alert: Strands answers for May 9, 2025 revealed!
We're giving away the answers for today's Strands puzzle, so be warned!
Spangram for today's Strands:
CAMPING GEAR
Theme words for today's Strands:
TENT, BACKPACK, COOLER, LANTERN, GRILL, THERMOS
With these hints, you should be off to a roaring start, budding outdoors enthusiast! Here's a sneak peek of what a completed puzzle might look like:
How I Solved Today's Strands: A Peculiar Approach
This puzzle theme is pretty vague, so it could be many things. Perhaps animals or other outdoor dwellers?
I see the word BACKPACK in the upper right corner, that much is clear. 🔵 Alright, maybe it's related to the book "The Outsiders"? Not sure yet.
I see COLGATE along the bottom—surprisingly, it ain't a hit.
I spot TINT, but it's not a theme word. Oh wait, it’s TENT! 🔵 I'm on to something now, this seems to be about camping or hiking. It's definitely not "The Outsiders."
There's GRILL in the center. 🔵
There's the spangram, forming a tent shape: CAMPING GEAR. 🟡
THERMOS is in the center of the puzzle, snuggled inside the tent, if you will. 🔵
COOLER is in the bottom left corner. 🔵
Lastly, LANTERN. 🔵
So, How Do You Play Strands? Start your adventure!
To join in the Strands fun, head over to the New York Times website or the NYT Games app. Once you begin, you'll see a game board filled with letters, accompanied by a clue revealing the theme (like "Better with age"). Your mission is to unearth the hidden words that reflect the puzzle's theme.
Strands: A Crossword-Word Search Hybrid
The most important word to find is the "spangram," which highlights the puzzle's theme (e.g., FERMENTED for puzzle themes like "Better with age"). Once you've found the spangram, it will be highlighted in yellow. Solving the spangram usually makes the rest of the puzzle much easier to complete.
Words in Strands move any direction (up, down, left, right, and diagonal), using each letter only once. There is only one correct solution, and once you've correctly identified one of the puzzle's words, it will be highlighted in blue.
If you're struggling to solve the puzzle, you can submit any non-theme words (as long as they are 4 letters or more) to receive credit toward a single hint. If you submit three non-theme words, the "Hint" button will be clickable. Upon clicking, all letters of a theme word will be highlighted for you. You must still assemble these highlighted letters in the correct order to create one of the theme words. If a hint is already on the board, and you use another hint before solving that word, the correct order of letters for that word will be revealed.
Strands Victory!
Unlike some other NYT games, you can't fail Strands. When you submit guesses, you'll either find a theme word, receive credit toward a hint, or the game board will tremble and shake, indicating that the word you guessed is too short or invalid. You can't run out of guesses, and there is no time limit.
You win when you've used all the letters on the board, meaning you've discovered the spangram and all of the theme words. Like other NYT games, upon solving the puzzle, you'll see a share card indicating your performance: blue dots indicate theme words you've found, a yellow dot indicates the spangram, and a lightbulb indicates words you received a hint for.
Good luck, and happy adventuring!
- To find the spangram for today's Strands puzzle, you might check the gear available at outdoor stores like REI, Patagonia, or Summit Hut.
- As a Strands player, you could use entertainment from social media as a source of inspiration for the theme words within the puzzle.
- If you're looking for additional Strands assistance, you might consider bookmarking this hint-filled page for daily reference.
- Mark your calendar for May 9, 2025, as the Strands puzzle themed "Outsiders" is set to release, with theme words such as TENT, BACKPACK, COOLER, LANTERN, GRILL, and THERMOS.
