NYT Strands for today: clues, spangram, and solutions for Friday, April 25.

      Strands is a new daily puzzle from the New York Times. It's a more challenging version of the traditional word search that requires a sharp eye to solve. Similar to Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword, Strands can be tricky on certain days. There's no shame in needing a bit of assistance now and then. If you're struggling and want to find the answers to today's Strands puzzle, take a look at the solved puzzle below.

      **How to play Strands**

      Every Strands puzzle begins with the objective of identifying the "theme words" concealed within the letter grid. You can manipulate the letters by dragging or tapping to form words; double-tap the last letter to confirm your selection. If you come up with the right word, the letters will be highlighted in blue and become unselectable.

      If you discover a word that isn’t part of the theme, it’s still beneficial! For every three non-theme words that are at least four letters long, you’ll receive a hint — one of the theme words' letters will be exposed, which you will need to unscramble.

      Every letter in the grid contributes to spelling the theme words, with no overlaps. Each letter will be used only once.

      Each puzzle features one “spangram,” a unique theme word (or words) that reflects the puzzle’s theme and spans two opposite sides of the grid. When you locate the spangram, it will be highlighted in yellow.

      Your aim should be to complete the puzzle promptly without relying too much on hints.

      **Hint for today’s Strands puzzle**

      Today’s theme is “It’s in the stars.”

      Here’s a hint that may assist you: connect the dots.

      **Today’s Strands answers**

      NYT

      **Today’s spangram**

      We’ll begin by providing the spangram, which could aid you in understanding the theme and solving the rest of the puzzle independently:

      CONSTELLATIONS

      **Today’s Strands answers**

      SWAN

      CROSS

      HUNTER

      DIPPER

      MAIDEN

      CENTAUR

      Jesse Lennox has been a writer for Digital Trends for over five years and has no intentions of stopping. He covers various topics…

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