NYT Strands is the daily word-search-style puzzle from the New York Times that challenges you to uncover theme-linked words hidden across a letter grid.

For 29 December 2025, the theme is "Are you putting me on?", bringing together a set of words linked to clothing and garments you wear. As always, there's a spangram that neatly connects every answer in the puzzle.

29 December 2025 NYT Strands Theme: "Are you putting me on?"

Today's theme cleverly plays on the phrase "putting on clothes"—focusing on garments and items of clothing. The puzzle is moderately challenging, with words hidden throughout the grid in various directions. Once you catch onto the clothing theme, the solve becomes much more straightforward as you scout for wearable items.

29 December 2025 NYT Strands: Hints

  • Think about common items you wear on your body.
  • Several answers are everyday clothing pieces you'd find in a wardrobe.
  • Look for both tops and bottoms in the grid.
  • Some words might be tucked diagonally or reversed.
  • Don't forget about small clothing accessories like fasteners.
  • The spangram ties everything together with a clever double meaning about doing what suits you.

29 December 2025 NYT Strands: Answers

  • Shirt 
  • Belt 
  • Jacket 
  • Vest 
  • Trousers 
  • Cufflinks

Spangram

Suit Yourself

This brilliant spangram works on two levels—it references both the act of putting on a suit and the casual expression meaning "do as you please." It captures the unifying idea behind every word in the grid, cleverly linking each answer to the shared experience of getting dressed and putting on garments.

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 6–8 theme words.

How to get and use hints

Hints are built right into Strands, and they're super useful if you're stuck:

  • To earn a hint, find any non-theme word of at least four letters in the grid.
  • Each valid extra word gives you one hint.
  • When you use a hint, one of the theme words will be revealed automatically, helping you move forward.

Pro tip: Don't just burn hints — use them strategically when the grid feels impossible. Sometimes a single revealed word unlocks the entire board.

Tips to become a NYT Strands pro

  1. Start with obvious words. Look for clear connections to the theme first. Today's theme is all about clothing, so think of common garments you wear daily like shirts, jackets, and belts.
  2. Scan diagonals early. Strands loves to hide words at an angle. This puzzle is no exception, so check those diagonal paths carefully for hidden clothing items.
  3. Build around found words. Once one word is cleared, the leftover letters often point to the next. Finding common items like "shirt" or "belt" early can unlock the rest.
  4. Watch for accessories. Don't just look for major clothing pieces—small accessories like cufflinks can be easy to miss but are crucial to completing the puzzle.
  5. Use hints wisely. Earn them steadily by spotting extra words, then save them for those last elusive items. The spangram "Suit Yourself" is worth discovering on your own if you can.

Final words

Today's puzzle was a fun and clever solve, with an excellent spangram that plays on the double meaning of "suit yourself." The theme is immediately relatable, and most of the vocabulary is straightforward—making this one of the more enjoyable recent puzzles. The challenge came in spotting the more specific items like cufflinks and recognizing the witty spangram.

What did you think of the double meaning in the spangram? Let us know in the comments which word stumped you the most! And come back tomorrow for a fresh grid and theme, and keep your Strands streak alive!