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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Date correction: “Shakespearean titles” is Friday, December 12, 2025’s NYT Strands puzzle, game #649—not Thursday’s game. If you came looking for Thursday, December 11, that puzzle was game #648, “Let me elaborate.”
For the Shakespeare-themed puzzle, the spangram is THEBARD. The six theme answers are TEMPEST, MIDSUMMER, SHREW, TWELFTH, MERCHANT, and MERRY. Hints and the complete answer list follow.
Hints for the “Shakespearean titles” puzzle
The theme words are drawn from the names of Shakespeare plays. If you want a nudge before seeing the solutions, match each word to a familiar title:
- TEMPEST: A play about a storm, an island, and Prospero.
- MIDSUMMER: The first distinctive word in a comedy whose full title includes “Night’s Dream.”
- SHREW: The key word in a comedy about a woman whom others describe as difficult to tame.
- TWELFTH: The ordinal number in a play named for a holiday.
- MERCHANT: The profession in a play set in Venice.
- MERRY: The opening word in the title about the wives of Windsor.
These clues identify the six title words without giving away their grid locations.
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Today’s Strands spangram and answers
Spangram: THEBARD
Theme answers:
- TEMPEST
- MIDSUMMER
- SHREW
- TWELFTH
- MERCHANT
- MERRY
The answer words point to The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. The puzzle’s source lists the answer words and spangram; the full play names identify the works those words evoke. TechRadar’s December 12 guide gives the game’s answer list.
Why the date in the supplied headline is off by one day
The date and theme in the headline refer to two neighboring puzzles. “Shakespearean titles” is game #649 for Friday, December 12, 2025. Thursday, December 11, was game #648, with the theme “Let me elaborate” and answers EPILOGUE, ADDENDUM, POSTSCRIPT, and FOOTNOTE; its spangram was ANDFURTHERMORE. The December 11 guide and the puzzle archive place the two themes on their respective dates.
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How Strands hints work
Strands has a 6×8 letter grid. Find the theme words and a spangram—a word or phrase that describes the theme and stretches between two opposite edges of the grid. You can also find valid words that are not part of the theme: three such words earn a hint that highlights the letters of an unsolved theme answer. See the NYT Games Strands page for the game and its rules.
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