NYT Unveils Clues and Solution for Saturday's Puzzle, May 3rd, 2025
Yo, it's time to crack the Strands puzzle from May 3, 2025, all about saying 'ah.' If you wanna keep up with our daily hints, remember to bookmark this page. You can find our past hints here as well!
I'll drop some clues that'll help you unravel the mystery of this theme. Ready? Here we go:
Clues for the spangram in today's Strands
Two words describing tools doctors can't live without—think medical instruments.
Clues for the theme words in today's Strands
Think of items you might find in a doctor's bag—these could be tools of the trade.
Spoilers ahead for today's Strands puzzle!
We're gonna spill the beans on today's Strands answers.
What's the spangram in today's Strands?
The spangram for today is DOCTORSKIT.
What are the theme words in today's Strands?
The theme words today are: STETHOSCOPE, THERMOMETER, SYRINGE, TAPE, GAUZE.
Here's how the board looks when all the words are in place:
Solving the Strands puzzle today
The phrase "Say 'ah'" makes me think of visits to the doc, so maybe it's connected to medical stuff.
I spot the word DOCTOR at the center, but that ain't a theme word, so it's probably part of the spangram.
Highlighting the letter DOCTOR, I see that STETHOSCOPE is on the top left. 🔵
THERMOMETER is below that. 🔵
Now it looks like the spangram is DOCTORSKIT. 🟡 Correcto!
GAUZE is at the bottom right. 🔵
SYRINGE is on the top right. 🔵
Lastly, TAPE. 🔵
Playing Strands
You can find the Strands game on the New York Times website and in the NYT Games app.
Once you start playing, you'll see a game board filled with letters and a clue hinting at the puzzle's theme (like "Better with age"). Your task is to uncover the hidden words based on the theme.
A dash of crossword and word search
Find the "spangram," which is an explicit statement of the theme. (For example, the spangram for a puzzle with the theme "Better with age" is FERMENTED). The spangram shall span the entire board, either horizontally or vertically (hence the name).
In Strands, words move in any direction (up, down, left, right, or diagonal), and you'll only use each letter once. There's only one solution. When you find a theme word, it will be highlighted in blue.
If you're stuck, you can submit non-theme words (minimum four letters) to receive hints. If you submit three non-theme words, the "Hint" button will be active; clicking it will reveal the letters of one of the theme words. However, you still must properly connect the highlighted letters to make a complete word. If a hint has already been activated and you submit another hint before solving that word, the letters' order will be disclosed.
Winning Strands
differential to Connections and Wordle, you can't fail Strands. Your guesses will either correctly identify a word, contribute to a hint, or the board will vibrate, indicating that the word is too short or invalid. There are no limits on the number of guesses, and there's no time limit.
You win when you've utilized all the letters on the board, meaning you've found the spangram and all the theme words. Like other NYT games, upon solving the puzzle, you'll receive a shareable card showing your performance that day: blue dots 🔵 indicate theme words you found, the yellow dot 🟡 indicates when you found the spangram, and a lightbulb 💡 indicates words for which you received a hint.
[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/stethoscope/faq-20058343[2] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/thermometer/faq-20058340[3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/syringe/faq-20058345[4] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/tape/faq-20058344[5] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/gauze/faq-20058342
Follow the daily hints on the NYT Strands puzzle, bookmark the page today to stay updated on Saturday's theme 'Say 'ah.' Maybe, it's related to medical equipment, considering the spangram for today is DOCTORSKIT, and the theme words are STETHOSCOPE, THERMOMETER, SYRINGE, TAPE, and GAUZE. Search for these medical tools to get closer to the solution. Share your progress on social media and discuss with fellow Strands players for entertainment.
