Strands is back again with another difficult word-search puzzle to ponder over. If you are stuck on this one, you aren't alone. The clue is not super helpful, and the words aren't all that intuitive either.

If you want a little bit of help, or a lot, you can find it in the paragraphs below. This guide contains everything you need, including theme hints, spoilers, the answer, and more. The only thing it doesn't have is a breakdown of the rules of Strands.

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The NYT Games Strands Playing the Field #389 March 27, 2025

NYT-New-York-Times-Games-Strands-March-27-2025

The Strands puzzle for today has the clue Playing the Field. It has seven things to find: the Spangram and six themed words.

NYT Strands Spangram Tips and Theme Hints

If you want a little help without spoilers, you can find it in this next section. Each of the three sections below contains just one little spoiler-free hint to get you closer to the theme for this puzzle game you can learn from.

General Spangram Hint 1

General Spangram Hint 2

General Spangram Hint 3

Spoilers for Today's New York Times Strands

The in-game hint system might give you spoilers, but it also means you have to find a bunch of non-themed words to get one. If you just want those spoilers without the hassle, you can find two of them in the sections below.

Spoiler 1

Spoiler 2

The Answer to the NYT Playing the Field Strands

If the full answer to this puzzle game for the whole family is what you need, you can find it here. The section below contains the themed words and each of their locations inside the puzzle's letter grid.

Today's Strands Explained

If the answer doesn't make much sense to you, you can find an explanation below. This expandable section will lay out how the theme for this puzzle game that can make you smarter and the clue provided fit together.

Want to play? Check out the New York Times Games Strands website, available on almost any device with a browser.

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strands game

Strands
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Puzzle
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Released
March 4, 2024
Developer(s)
The New York Times Company
Publisher(s)
The New York Times Company
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Genre(s)
Puzzle