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Spoilers: The Friday, March 28, 2025, NYT Strands puzzle was game #390, themed “Wise ones.” Its spangram was GUIDING LIGHT; the five theme words were ELDER, PHILOSOPHER, SAGE, THINKER and VISIONARY.
Hints for the March 28 Strands puzzle
If you want a nudge before seeing the full grid answers, use the theme as your clue: each word names a kind of person associated with wisdom, insight or guidance. The spangram captures the idea of someone or something that helps show the way.
- Theme: “Wise ones”
- Spangram hint: A source of direction or inspiration
- Theme-word hint: The answers include an older community member, a deep thinker, and people known for wisdom or foresight.
NYT Strands answers for Friday, March 28
The complete answer set for puzzle #390 is:
- ELDER
- PHILOSOPHER
- SAGE
- THINKER
- VISIONARY
Spangram: GUIDING LIGHT
The spangram is GUIDING LIGHT. Some archives write it as GUIDINGLIGHT without a space; both spellings refer to the same two-word answer.
How Strands hints work
Strands is a themed word-search game. Players trace adjacent letters in multiple directions to form the theme words. Finding words that are not part of the theme can earn in-game hints that reveal letters in theme answers. At the time the cited answer guides were published, the game was available through the New York Times website and NYT Games app; access arrangements may change.
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Best Value
- 48 New York Times crossword puzzles & solutions printed on quality paper
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- Multiple refills available
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#1 Best Overall
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