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Todays NYT Strands puzzle is a fun, monstrous one. But there’s one answer to today’s puzzle that I’ve never heard of, so how far you make it in today’s puzzle will depend on your familiarity with the spangram. 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 CNET’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: Monster quest.
If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Scary critters.
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:
- MANY, MOCK, MOTH, TAKE, GATE, DOPE, FACT, PILE, DOOR, DOORS, FOOT, REEK, LOPE, LAID
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’ve got 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:
- MOTHMAN, YETI, KRAKEN, BIGFOOT, CRAWLER, JACKALOPE
Today’s Strands spangram
The completed NYT Strands puzzle for June 4, 2025, #458.
Today’s Strands spangram is CRYPTIDS. To find it, start with the C that’s three letters to the right on the top row, and wind down.
Quick tips for Connections
#1: Say the clue words out loud, pausing before and after each. That helps you hear the words in the context of a phrase. The Connections editors love to group words together that are used in similar phrasing, like ____ Up.
#2: Don’t go for the obvious grouping. These editors are smart. Once, they offered SPONGE, BOB, SQUARE and PANTS in the same puzzle. None of those words were in the same category. If you like, hit the “shuffle” button to give yourself a different perspective on the words.
#3: Break down any compound words and look for similarities. “Rushmore” was once in a puzzle where the connection was that each word started with the name of a rock band.
