NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, April 25 (game #418)

Looking for NYT Strands answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, including the spangram.

Apr 24, 2025 - 15:12

NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, April 25 (game #418)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, April 24 (game #417).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #418) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… It's in the stars

NYT Strands today (game #418) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

CONE
SCONE
RENT
SWEET
CINEMA
CAPER

NYT Strands today (game #418) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 14 letters

NYT Strands today (game #418) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 1st column

Last side: bottom, 1st column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #418) - the answers

NYT Strands answers for game 418 on a blue background — (Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #418, are…

CROSS
DIPPER
SWAN
MAIDEN
HUNTER
CENTAUR
SPANGRAM: CONSTELLATIONS

My rating: Easy
My score: Perfect

The NYT keeps on finding new ways to hide the spangram. Today, it was a cunning vertical at the start of the grid. I’d tapped out CONE and SCONE as hint words before I saw it. Not that it was any great surprise that we were searching for CONSTELLATIONS, thanks to the theme giveaway.

CROSS and DIPPER were my first spots – the obvious ones – but the rest I struggled with.

Of the 88 constellations in the sky I could probably name the zodiac signs and that’s about it, let alone the shapes they are also known as.

So, thanks to my Google AI servant, here are the Strands constellations and their official names: CROSS (Cygnus), DIPPER (Ursa Major), SWAN (Cygnus), MAIDEN (Virgo), HUNTER (Orion), and CENTAUR (Centaurus). Every day’s a school day.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, April 24, game #417)

SANDPAPER
ROPE
PUMICE
BARK
LOOFAH
SACKCLOTH
SPANGRAM: ROUGH STUFF

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.