Daily New York Times Reveals Hints and Solution for Crossword Puzzle on May 8, 2025
Ready for some Strands fun on Thursday, May 8, 2025? I've got you covered! Bookmark this page for daily hints, or catch up on past puzzles. Today, we're talking "Well, fancy that!"
Cryptic clues for the Strands answers:
- A phrase you might say while ogling something flashy, like a flashy jewel or watch.
- Synonyms for "swanky," "costly," or "posh."
Be prepared: Strands spoilers ahead!
Time to reveal the answers to today's Strands puzzle.
Spangram answer:
Today's spangram is OOHSHINY.
Theme words:
The theme words today are: LAVISH, DELUXE, ORNATE, SNAZZY, EXTRAVAGANT, GAUDY.
Check out the solved puzzle board:
How I cracked today's Strands:
After pondering "fancy," I started realizing that "fancy" may be the key.
Z's caught my eye in the bottom left corner, leading me to SNAZZY. 🔵
"Gaudy" followed suit in the same corner. 🔵
At first, I thought the X might belong to EXOTIC, but that didn't work out.
I then noticed SHINY running down the center... a-ha! It quickly became OOHSHINY for the spangram. 🟡
This made it easy to spot EXTRAVAGANT in the upper left corner. 🔵
The LAVISH letter layout also appeared in the upper left. 🔵
The remaining letters were tricky. I thought I could construct EXUDE, but it's not a theme word.
Ah, I found ORNATE followed by DELUXE. 🔵
About Strands:
Play Strands on the New York Times website or through the NYT Games app. You'll see a game board with letters hinting at the puzzle's theme, usually a phrase. Your mission: find hidden words that reflect the theme.
Think crossword meets word search:
The spangram is the puzzle's most vital word, clearly expressing the theme. If you cracked it, it'd be highlighted in yellow. For instance, for a puzzle with the theme "Better with age," the spangram could be FERMENTED.
In Strands, words can move in any direction, and each letter should only be used once. There's only one correct solution. When you uncover a puzzle solution (e.g., KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI), it'll be highlighted in blue.
If you're stuck, you can submit non-theme words (as long as they have 4 or more letters) to receive hint credits. If you submit three non-theme words, you can enable the "Hint" button, which then highlights letters in one of the theme words for you. You'll still have to arrange these letters to form a theme word.
How to win Strands:
Unlike Connections and Wordle, you can't fail Strands. As you submit guesses, you'll either reveal an answer, receive hint credits, or see the board shake from side to side, indicating an incorrect word. You have no limits, and there's no time crunch.
When you've used all letters, you win! The spangram and theme words will be completely unmasked, and you can share your progress with the world.
- The theme words for today's Strands puzzle, revealed on Thursday, May 8, 2025, are shiny and elaborate, like luxury jewelry or a posh party.
- I found today's spangram for the Strands puzzle, 'OOHSHINY', running down the center of the game board, resembling a flashy and expensive jewel.
- Check out the Strands entertainment on the New York Times website or the NYT Games app this Thursday for an extravagant and fancy themed puzzle, where I've cleared all the theme words: LAVISH, DELUXE, ORNATE, SNAZZY, EXTRAVAGANT, and GAUDY.
- In case you're struggling, don't forget to bookmark this social media page for daily hints or catch up on previous Strands puzzles. Share your shiny successes and solutions with the Strands community using #StrandsNYT.
