The Wednesday, December 24, 2025, NYT Strands theme is “Gather around.” The puzzle’s cozy-comfort answers lead to the spangram SNUG AS A BUG. Hints appear first below; the complete solution is in the spoiler section.
Hints for Strands #661
Today’s theme clue is “Gather around.” Think of the comfort and warmth associated with settling in with blankets and people close to you.
For another nudge, Forbes offers: “Drape some blankets over you and perhaps your nearest and dearest.”
If you want to use the game’s hint system rather than see the answers, find three valid words of at least four letters that are not theme answers. TechRadar lists these possible words: ATOM, GRASSY, WATCH, MOTH, MOST, and PLANT.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsToday’s Strands answers
Spoilers: The full answer list for Wednesday, December 24, 2025, is below. Two date-specific guides agree on these answers.
- COMFY
- COZY
- RELAXING
- PLEASANT
- WARM
- SOFT
- HOMEY
Spangram
SNUG AS A BUG — entered as the continuous letter string SNUGASABUG. TechRadar describes it as a 10-letter spangram touching the left side of the board at row 4 and the right side at row 8; those row positions are from TechRadar’s published guide.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How NYT Strands works
Strands is a daily word-search-style puzzle played on a six-by-eight letter grid. Find words connected by the day’s theme. Letters can connect vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, and a word’s path can change direction. The spangram describes the theme and links at least two sides of the board.
Finding three valid non-theme words of four or more letters unlocks a hint that highlights a theme word. Strands is available on the NYT website and in the NYT Games app.
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