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The March 20, 2025, NYT Strands puzzle is game #382. Its theme is “Wetland patrol,” and the spangram is WADINGBIRD, placed vertically from bottom to top. Use the hints below in order to avoid revealing more than you want; the full answer list follows in a separate spoiler section.
Hints for Strands #382
- Broad clue: Think of animals associated with a particular habitat.
- Theme clue: The puzzle’s theme is “Wetland patrol.” Another same-day hint describes it as “Avian.”
- Spangram direction: It runs vertically, from the bottom of the board to the top.
- First-letter cues: The regular words begin ST, FL, IB, EG, SP, and BI. The spangram begins WA.
- Optional hint-unlocking words: BONG, DOLL, STOP, GRIT, FINS, and GREET are non-theme words reported to unlock in-game hints.
How Strands hints work
Parade reproduces NYT-attributed game instructions explaining that players drag or tap letters to form words. Theme words stay highlighted blue; the spangram describes the theme, touches two opposite sides of the board, and turns yellow when found. Finding three non-theme words earns a hint, which reveals the letters of a theme word—or its order if a hint is already active. These instructions are presented here as Parade’s reproduction of NYT guidance.
Full answers for March 20, 2025
Spoilers below.
- STORK
- FLAMINGO
- IBIS
- EGRET
- SPOONBILL
- BITTERN
Spangram
WADINGBIRD (also written as WADING BIRD), running vertically from bottom to top.
Why these answers fit
“Wetland patrol” points to birds associated with wetland habitats. STORK, FLAMINGO, IBIS, EGRET, SPOONBILL, and BITTERN are the six regular theme answers; WADINGBIRD is the spangram that names the shared category. Parade, TechRadar, and Try Hard Guides agree on the date, theme, and answers, with ComicBook.com independently corroborating the answer list.
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