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The New York Times Strands puzzle dated December 18, 2024 is listed as #290, not #289. Its theme is “You say you want a revolution.” Spoilers for the solution follow.
December 18, 2024 Strands answers
The date-matched answer page and an independent archive give the same solution for puzzle #290: Try Hard Guides’ December 18 answer page and the Puzzlesbay Strands archive.
- BALLERINA
- DRYER
- EARTH
- FOOTBALL
- PINWHEEL
- TIRES
Spangram: SPINNERS
Why the puzzle number is #290, not #289
The title’s date and number conflict: December 18 is identified as #290, while #289 is dated December 17. TechRadar’s December 17, 2024 Strands page lists #289’s theme as “It’s lit!” and its answers as CRIME, FANTASY, ROMANCE, WESTERN, HISTORICAL, and the spangram FICTION GENRE. Those are not the December 18 answers.
How hints work in Strands
Strands is a themed word-search game. The answer pages describe valid words outside the theme as a way to earn hints: each word must have at least four letters, and three valid words reveal a hint showing one theme word. These mechanics are described by secondary answer sources, not an official rules page for this specific historical puzzle.
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