Daily New York Times Unveils Clues and Solution for Puzzle on May 6, 2025 (Tuesday)
Let's Crack the May 6, 2025 Strands Puzzle!
Skip to the daily Strands hints, swipe through clues, and grab the buzz-worthy solution - no need to miss a beat! If you want a handy way to keep up with our Strands cheats every day, go ahead and bookmark this page. You'll also find links to previous puzzles' hints, in case you've got some unfinished business from the past.
Here are some subtle hints that'll nudge you closer to snagging today's Strands answers. That's not all! We've also got the lowdown on today's spangram and theme words hiding below, so read on if you want to up your game and make the most of this brainy quest.
WARNING: Spoilers for May 6, 2025's Strands puzzle lie ahead!
We're about to spill the beans on the answers to today's Strands mystery.
Hint for the spangram in today's Strands puzzle
Get in on some shiny accessories that call for a piercing and healing time. Approx. 3-6 months, depending on your body.
Hint for the theme words in today's Strands puzzle
We're going for ear bling on lobes or other hot spots, such as tragus, conch, or forward helix.
Caution: The following sections contain answers to today's Strands puzzle.
What is the spangram in today's Strands?
The spangram for May 6, 2025, Strands is EARRINGS.
What are the theme words in today's Strands?
Today's theme words are: TEARDROP, HOOP, CUFF, STUD, CLIPON, CHANDELIER, PLUG.
Here's the final picture when the puzzle is solved:
How I figured out today's Strands
"Lobe" brings brain lobes to mind, but other lobes seemed less likely. (I guess my recent neuroanatomy quizzes had a bigger impact on my thinking than I thought!)
Non-theme words in the puzzle include POOP, PIER, CHIP, TUFF, ARDOR, PAIN, HURT, and CHAIN.
Perhaps "lobe" refers to the ears. I spotted the word EAR in the bottom part of the puzzle. Wow, that's interesting - earrings are accessories you'll find in lobes! Yes, there's the spangram, EARRINGS, and it makes much more sense than brain lobes.
STUD is in the bottom left corner. 🔵
CUFF is above STUD. 🔵
HOOP is above CUFF. 🔵
TEARDROP is in the upper left corner. 🔵
CHANDELIER skims the right side of the spangram. 🔵
PLUG is in the bottom right corner. 🔵
Lastly, CLIPON. 🔵
How to Play Strands
VOILA! Find the Strands game on the New York Times website or in the NYT Games app.
When you start playing, you'll come across a game board jam-packed with letters, with a helpful hint that reflects the board's theme - like "Better with age." Your mission is to identify the hidden words within the board that suit the puzzle's theme.
You'll find a crossword crossed with a word search and a fun challenge! The most crucial word on the board is the "spangram," a word essential in revealing the puzzle's theme. For instance, the spangram for a puzzle with the theme "Better with age" is FERMENTED, enlightening you on products that, of course, taste better with time.
The spangram will span the entire game board, either left to right or top to bottom (hence the name). When you find the spangram, it'll shine in yellow. Sussing out the spangram usually makes unraveling the rest of the puzzle smoother.
Words in the game move in any direction – up, down, left, right, or diagonally – and you'll use each letter only once. The puzzle has only one correct solution. When you've successfully found one of the puzzle's words - like KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI - it'll shine in blue.
For those stuck, you can submit any non-theme words (as long as they're four letters or more) for hints. If you put forth three non-theme words, the "Hint" button will be active; should you decide to click it, all of the letters in one theme word will be highlighted for you. You'll still need to connect these highlighted letters in the right sequence to form a single theme word. If there's already a hint on the board and you use another hint before pinning down that word, the letter order of that word will be exposed.
To win, simply make use of all the letters on the board, which means you've discovered the spangram and all the theme words. As with other NYT games, when you crack the puzzle, you'll see a shareable card that notes your performance that day: blue dots 🔵 represent theme words you found, the yellow dot 🚀 indicates when you sniffed out the spangram, and a lightbulb 💡 signifies words that earned you a hint.
References
- https://crosswordfiend.com/strands-crossword-clue-answers-may-6-2025/
- https://wordfinders.net/strands-crossword-puzzle-solution/may-2025/
- https://www.thoughtco.com/human-ear-anatomy-and-structure-3126263
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earlobe
- Today's Strands puzzle, set for May 6, 2025, focuses on accessories for the ears, with 'earrings' as the spangram and theme words such as 'teardrop', 'hoop', 'cuff', 'stud', 'clip-on', 'chandelier', and 'plug'.
- To decipher today's Strands puzzle, the 'lobe' clue leads one to explore the anatomy of the ears rather than the brain.
- The solved picture of today's Strands puzzle reveals a collection of earrings, reflecting the puzzle's theme.
- If you're a fan of brainy quests and want to keep up with daily Strands challenges, remember to bookmark this page for easy access.
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