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Today’s NYT Strands puzzle celebrates a common July 4 activity. Some of the words are long and might be tough to unscramble, but if you recognize the theme, you should be good. If you need hints and answers, read on.
I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit ‘s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far
Hint for today’s Strands puzzle
Today’s Strands theme is: Let’s have a picnic.
If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: July 4 outdoor menu.
Clue words to unlock in-game hints
Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:
- BUGS, BALD, BALDS, PICNIC, LOAD, LOADS, BEAR, BEET, STAR, STARE, ROLE, ROLES, LORE, DOLE, BELL, BELLS
Answers for today’s Strands puzzle
These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:
- BEANS, BRATS, SALAD, BURGERS, COLESLAW, WATERMELON
Today’s Strands spangram
The completed NYT Strands puzzle for July 4, 2025, #488.
Today’s Strands spangram is BARBECUE. To find it, look for the B that’s four letters to the right on the top row, and wind down.
