NYT Strands Hints and Answer for December 26, 2025

Happy Boxing Day! Today’s NYT Strands puzzle features a timely theme that’s perfectly suited for December 26th. If you’re finding yourself tangled in the letter grid or can’t quite crack the theme, we’ve got comprehensive hints and the complete solution to help you untangle this word search challenge.

What is NYT Strands?

NYT Strands is The New York Times’ innovative daily word search puzzle that combines traditional word-finding with thematic challenges. Unlike conventional word searches where words are given to you, Strands requires you to discover theme-related words hidden within a grid of letters.

The game features a unique twist: you must find all the theme words plus a special “spangram” that spans from one side of the board to the other while summarizing the puzzle’s theme. Every letter in the grid must be used exactly once, making it a satisfying logic puzzle as well as a word game.

How to Play NYT Strands

Understanding the rules is key to success:

You’re presented with a 6×8 grid of letters
Find words related to the day’s theme by connecting adjacent letters
Letters can connect horizontally, vertically, or diagonally
Each letter can only be used once per word
Find the “spangram” – a theme word that touches two opposite sides of the board
Use every single letter in the grid exactly once
Hint system available: find three non-theme words to unlock a theme word hint

The theme is provided as a cryptic clue, and part of the challenge is interpreting what types of words you’re looking for.

Today’s Theme Hint

The theme for December 26, 2025, is: “Please Hold”

This cryptic clue is a play on words related to today’s date. Think about what December 26th is commonly called, especially in British Commonwealth countries and increasingly around the world. The theme relates to items and concepts that can come in a specific type of container or format.

Theme Interpretation

The puzzle is themed around Boxing Day, the holiday celebrated on December 26th. But here’s the clever twist: the words you’re looking for are all things that come in boxes or can be “boxed.” Think about everyday items that are packaged, stored, or delivered in boxes.

Strategic Hints for Finding Words

Before we reveal the specific words, here are some strategic approaches:

General Word Hints

Look for items commonly delivered or packaged
Think about retail and consumer goods
Consider food items that come in boxes
Remember sporting equipment and tools
Don’t forget about entertainment and household items

Letter Pattern Clues

One word relates to footwear
Another involves lighting or combustion
Several words are food-related
One relates to voting
One is associated with fishing

Length Hints

The words range from 4 to 6 letters, with most being 4-5 letters long. The spangram is significantly longer, as it needs to span the board.

Specific Word Hints

Let’s break down hints for each individual word:

Word 1: Footwear Item

4 letters
Something you wear on your feet
Comes in boxes when you buy them new
Starts with S

Word 2: Fire Starter

5 letters
Used to create flames
Often comes in a small box
You strike them to light them

Word 3: Present

4 letters
Something you give someone
Especially relevant around the holidays
Often comes wrapped in a box

Word 4: Midday Meal

5 letters
A meal you might pack
Can come in a box (think school or work)
Eaten around noon

Word 5: Equipment

4 letters
Hardware or implements
Often stored in a toolbox
Used for repairs and construction

Word 6: Popular Food

5 letters
Italian dish
Famously delivered in boxes
Topped with cheese and toppings

Word 7: Fishing Equipment

6 letters
Used for catching fish
Includes hooks, line, and other gear
Often stored in a box

Word 8: Voting Item

6 letters
Used in elections
What you cast your vote on
Collected in a box

The Spangram Hint

The spangram connects the entire theme together:

It’s the holiday celebrated today: December 26th
9 letters total
Combines two common English words
Touches opposite sides of the board
When you find it, the theme becomes crystal clear

Complete Answers for December 26, 2025

Ready for the full solution? Here are all the theme words and the spangram:

Theme Words:

SHOE – Footwear that comes in shoeboxes
MATCH – Fire starters that come in matchboxes
GIFT – Presents that come in gift boxes
LUNCH – Midday meals that come in lunchboxes
TOOL – Equipment stored in toolboxes
PIZZA – Food delivered in pizza boxes
TACKLE – Fishing gear stored in tackle boxes
BALLOT – Voting papers placed in ballot boxes

Spangram:

BOXINGDAY – The holiday celebrated on December 26th, which perfectly ties together all the “box” words!

Understanding Today’s Theme

The brilliance of today’s puzzle lies in its wordplay. “Please Hold” is a clever clue that hints at “Box-ing Day” – literally, a day associated with boxes. Each theme word represents something that comes in or is associated with a specific type of box:

Shoes → Shoebox
Matches → Matchbox
Gifts → Gift box
Lunch → Lunchbox
Tools → Toolbox
Pizza → Pizza box
Tackle → Tackle box
Ballots → Ballot box

This type of associative thinking is what makes Strands both challenging and satisfying to solve.

About Boxing Day

Since today’s puzzle celebrates Boxing Day, here’s some interesting context:

Boxing Day originated in the United Kingdom and is celebrated in many Commonwealth countries. The name’s origin is debated, but popular theories include:

Servants receiving “Christmas boxes” (gifts) from employers
Churches opening alms boxes to distribute to the poor
The tradition of boxing up leftover food for servants

Today, Boxing Day is known for:

Major sporting events (especially football and horse racing in the UK)
Post-Christmas sales and shopping
Spending time with family and friends
In some countries, a public holiday for relaxation

Strategies for Solving NYT Strands

Want to improve your Strands performance? Try these techniques:

Starting Strategies

Read the theme carefully – Look for wordplay, puns, or double meanings
Scan for common patterns – Look for familiar letter combinations
Start with longer words – They’re often easier to spot
Find the spangram early – It can reveal the theme interpretation

Mid-Game Tactics

Use the hint system strategically – Finding three non-theme words unlocks a hint
Work from solved words – Each found word eliminates letters from consideration
Look for word families – Theme words often share categories or relationships
Check all directions – Words can snake through the grid in complex patterns

Advanced Techniques

Track unused letters – The remaining letters must form the missing words
Consider theme variations – Themes can be literal, figurative, or punny
Look for the spangram’s path – It must touch opposite edges
Use process of elimination – If you know the theme, list possible words

Common Strands Challenges

Players often struggle with:

Cryptic theme clues – Requires lateral thinking
Letter path visualization – Words can twist in unexpected ways
Similar letter clusters – Easy to miss word boundaries
Spangram identification – Can be hard to spot which word spans the board
Complete letter usage – Ensuring every letter is used exactly once

Why NYT Strands is Unique

Strands stands out among word puzzles because it:

Combines multiple skills – Word knowledge, pattern recognition, and logic
Offers varied difficulty – Themes range from straightforward to fiendishly clever
Rewards creativity – Lateral thinking often beats raw vocabulary
Provides satisfaction – Using every letter creates a complete solution
Builds daily habit – Fresh challenge every day with instant feedback

More Daily Puzzle Games

Finished today’s Strands? Challenge yourself with these other daily puzzles:

Wordle 1651 – The classic five-letter word puzzle
Quordle – Four Wordles at once
Bandle – Identify songs from instrument tracks
Globle – Geography guessing with heat maps
Worldle – Identify countries from their shapes

Tips for Tomorrow’s Strands

To prepare for future puzzles:

Expand your vocabulary – The more words you know, the better
Think thematically – Practice grouping words by categories
Watch for wordplay – NYT loves puns and double meanings
Stay current – Themes often relate to dates, seasons, or current events
Practice pattern recognition – Train your eye to spot letter sequences
Don’t overthink – Sometimes the simplest interpretation is correct

The Art of Theme Interpretation

Today’s “Please Hold” → “Boxing Day” → “Things in boxes” theme demonstrates the layered cleverness of Strands puzzles. The clue works on multiple levels:

Surface level: “Please hold” sounds like a phone message
Wordplay level: “Hold” relates to containing or boxing
Date level: December 26th is Boxing Day
Theme level: All words relate to types of boxes

This multi-layered approach is what makes Strands intellectually satisfying beyond simple word-finding.

Final Thoughts

Whether you solved today’s Boxing Day puzzle independently or needed a few hints to untangle the theme, the important thing is exercising your brain and enjoying the wordplay. The “Please Hold” theme was a perfect choice for December 26th, cleverly connecting the holiday with everyday items we associate with boxes.

Did you spot the Boxing Day connection right away, or did the theme keep you puzzled until the end? Tomorrow brings a fresh grid, a new theme, and another opportunity to test your word-finding skills. Keep those pattern recognition abilities sharp and your thinking lateral!