NYT Strands is the New York Times’ daily word-search-style puzzle that blends classic word finding with a themed twist. For 14 December 2025, the puzzle revolved around the theme “Pricy pairing,” featuring a collection of indulgent food-related words and a spangram that neatly tied the entire grid together.

14 December 2025 NYT Strands Theme: “Pricy pairing”

The “Pricy pairing” theme leaned into luxury dining, pairing high-end meats with seafood staples you’d expect on an upscale menu. The puzzle felt approachable, with familiar words, but still required careful scanning to separate similar food terms from overlapping letters.

14 December 2025 NYT Strands: Hints

  • Think about foods often associated with fine dining or special occasions
  • Look for menu items you’d expect at a steakhouse or seafood restaurant
  • Several words relate to premium cuts or shellfish
  • The grid favors straightforward spellings rather than obscure culinary terms
  • Spangram ties the list together with a classic restaurant phrase

14 December 2025 NYT Strands: Answers

  • Crab (popular luxury seafood)
  • Shrimp (a staple shellfish dish)
  • Ribeye (a premium steak cut)
  • Lobster (iconic high-end seafood)
  • Scallop (delicate seafood favorite)
  • Sirloin (well-known steakhouse cut)

Spangram

Surf and Turf brings together seafood and premium beef, neatly uniting the puzzle’s pricey pairings by combining ocean flavors with steakhouse classics, perfectly reflecting the theme’s indulgent dining contrast idea.

How Strands works

Strands is a daily word search puzzle with a twist:

  • You’re given a theme.
  • The grid is packed with hidden words tied to that theme.
  • Words can run in any direction, including diagonals.
  • Once you find all the theme words, you’re done!

Each puzzle usually has around 6 theme words.

Tips to become a NYT Strands pro

  1. Start with obvious words. Look for clear connections to the theme first.
  2. Scan diagonals early. Strands loves to hide words at an angle.
  3. Build around found words. Once one word is cleared, the leftover letters often point to the next.
  4. Use hints wisely. Earn them steadily by spotting extra words, then save them for when you’re truly stuck.
  5. Think about synonyms. The theme clue isn’t always literal — broaden your thinking.

Final Thoughts

The 14 December 2025 Strands puzzle felt comfortably easy, with a fun and familiar theme that clicked quickly once the first word appeared. The food-based pairing was clever and satisfying. How many did you spot before the spangram?