If you’re hooked on the daily NYT Strands puzzle, you’re in for another treat. This fresh word game challenges your vocabulary and pattern recognition with clever themes each day.

31 October 2025 NYT Strands Theme: Good Bones

Today’s theme dives beneath the surface — literally to the core of our structure. With “Good Bones,” the puzzle turns the spotlight on the sturdy framework that gives our bodies shape and strength. Expect a satisfying lineup of bone-related terms that build the human form piece by piece.

31 October 2025 NYT Strands: Hints

  • Think skeletal! The theme revolves around the human body’s internal scaffolding — the bones.
  • A good starting point is to recall basic anatomy terms.
  • Every answer ties back to parts that keep us upright, moving, and protected.
  • Spangram Hint: The entire structure that these parts belong to.

31 October 2025 NYT Strands: Answers

  • FEMUR — The thigh bone, the largest bone in the human body
  • FIBULA — One of the two bones in the lower leg
  • HUMERUS — The upper arm bone
  • RADIUS — A bone in the forearm
  • SKULL — The bone structure that protects the brain
  • STERNUM — The breastbone
  • ULNA — The larger bone in the forearm

Spangram

SKELETON — The complete framework of bones that gives a body its structure and shape.

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.
  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.

October 31’s Strands puzzle was an anatomical delight. “Good Bones” tested not just vocabulary but how well players could piece together the fundamental parts of the human body. Each discovered term was like snapping a piece into place on a perfect skeleton.

Today’s board reminded us that what’s beneath the surface truly matters — and that sometimes, every good puzzle just needs a few good bones to hold it together.