The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Need a nudge before the solution? The broad hint for NYT Strands #652 is “Rainbow shows.” The puzzle’s theme is “Palette episodes.” Stop here if you want to solve it yourself; the spangram and all eight theme words appear below.
Hints for Strands #652
This archived puzzle is from Monday, December 15, 2025. Its clues progress from a general hint to the full answers, so reveal only as much as you need.
- Broad hint: Rainbow shows.
- Theme: “Palette episodes.”
- Theme-word initials: BL, BL, GR, AC, GO, GI, WH, and LO. The spangram starts with CO.
- Spangram shape: It has seven letters. TechRadar places its first letter on the left side of the grid in row six and its last letter on the right side in row five; Parade describes its route as mostly diagonal.
Strands spangram and answers for December 15
Spangram: COLORTV
Theme words: ACRES, BLOODS, BLUE, GIRLS, GOLDEN, GREEN, LOTUS, and WHITE.
The words are presented as a set; answer guides do not use a consistent ordering. Together, the color terms and show titles point to the “Palette episodes” theme: BLUE BLOODS, GREEN ACRES, GOLDEN GIRLS, and WHITE LOTUS.
How Strands works
Strands is a themed word-search game: connect letters on the board to form words that fit the theme. The spangram describes the theme and touches two opposite sides of the board. Parade’s guide says that finding three non-theme words earns an in-game hint that reveals the letters of a theme word.
Quick Recap
Rank #3
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