These are the hints and answers for NYT Strands game #354, published on Thursday, February 20, 2025. Use the clues in order if you want to preserve the solve; the complete answer list appears below the spoiler divider.
Warning: spoilers follow.
Today’s NYT Strands hint
Think about milestones and gifts connected to marriage anniversaries. The puzzle combines anniversary materials with the numbers associated with those milestones.
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Theme hint
The theme is about being together over time, particularly wedding-anniversary celebrations.
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Together for the present
The wording points to anniversary presents and the milestones they represent.
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Spangram hint
The spangram is the word that completes phrases such as “first ___,” “golden ___,” and “diamond ___.” In Strands, the spangram is the board-spanning word that expresses the puzzle’s central theme.
Optional board clue: the reported spangram path reaches the bottom edge in the first column and the top edge in the third column.
Rank #2
Additional clue words
These words were reported to unlock the in-game hints:
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- TIED
- NEST
- THAN
- THEN
- DONE
These are hint-trigger words, not theme answers.
Spoiler: NYT Strands answers for game #354
The complete solution, including the spangram, is:
- DIAMOND
- GOLD
- FIRST
- PAPER
- FIFTIETH
- SIXTIETH
- ANNIVERSARY — spangram
Source: TechRadar’s February 20, 2025 Strands coverage.
How the answers fit together
The six theme words form three anniversary pairings:
| Milestone | Anniversary term |
|---|---|
| First | Paper |
| 50th | Gold |
| 60th | Diamond |
PAPER refers to the first wedding anniversary, GOLD to the 50th, and DIAMOND to the 60th. FIRST, FIFTIETH, and SIXTIETH supply the corresponding milestone numbers. ANNIVERSARY is the linking word and the spangram.
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A logical solving route
- Use the theme hint to consider wedding anniversaries.
- Spot ANNIVERSARY as a likely central word and spangram.
- Look for familiar anniversary materials: PAPER, GOLD, and DIAMOND.
- Match them with the numerical descriptors FIRST, FIFTIETH, and SIXTIETH.
- Confirm that all six words fit the anniversary theme.
The puzzle was described in the source coverage as easy; that is a reported difficulty rating rather than an objective measure.
Quick Recap
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