The New York Times Strands puzzle for Wednesday, June 4, 2025, comes with the intriguing theme “Monster quest,” prompting players to explore legendary creatures often found in folklore and cryptozoology. Designed as a twist on traditional word games, Strands challenges players to find words hidden in a grid based on a theme clue and a central “spangram” that ties the answers together.
Spangram hint and answer
The hint for today’s spangram refers to a category of mythical creatures often cited in supernatural tales or urban legends. The spangram—CRYPTIDS—perfectly captures this idea, as it broadly refers to legendary animals whose existence is unverified by science.
Theme word hints
Today’s theme words point to specific cryptids. These are names you might hear around campfires or in tales of mysterious sightings rather than in textbooks.
Today’s Strands answers
Here are all the theme words hidden in the puzzle:
• MOTHMAN
• BIGFOOT
• YETI
• KRAKEN
• JACKALOPE
• CRAWLER
These words are cleverly scattered across the grid, and each relates to a legendary creature known for eerie sightings or mythical status.
Gameplay overview
Strands combines aspects of a word search and a crossword. Players must identify themed words in any direction—horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The puzzle is complete once all theme words and the spangram have been discovered, using every letter on the board exactly once.
Unlike other NYT puzzles, there is no fail state in Strands. Players can submit any four-letter or longer word to earn hints. After three such submissions, a hint becomes available to highlight one of the hidden words.
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