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NYT Strands game #336, published Sunday, February 2, 2025, had the theme “Album of the year.” Its spangram was GRAMMY WINNERS, and the seven theme answers were SWIFT, WONDER, HILL, CROSS, STYLES, KING, and JONES. Hints below reveal the puzzle gradually; the answer list is marked as a spoiler.
Progressive hints for February 2
Theme hint
Think of artists recognized by the Recording Academy’s top album award.
Spangram hint
The published clue was “Presented by the Recording Academy.” The spangram ran from the top edge at column one to the bottom edge at column four.
Clue words for in-game hints
The published list of words that earn in-game hints was GRASS, DOWLE, MODE, WORN, NOSE, and WINE. DOWLE is the spelling printed in the source.
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How the Strands board works
Strands is a themed word search played on a letter grid. A word is traced through adjacent cells, including diagonal neighbors. The spangram connects opposite sides of the board and makes the theme explicit. A 2026 computational study describes the game’s hint mechanic as unlocking a hint after three valid guesses that are not among the hidden solution words: Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik, “Man, These New York Times Games Are Hard! A Computational Perspective”.
Spoiler: February 2, 2025 answers
Stop here if you still want to solve the board yourself.
Rank #2
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- Spangram: GRAMMY WINNERS
- Theme answers: SWIFT, WONDER, HILL, CROSS, STYLES, KING, JONES
JONES could refer to Norah Jones or Quincy Jones. TechRadar’s writer rated the puzzle “Easy” and reported a perfect score; that is the writer’s assessment and reported result, not an independent test.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why these names fit
The answers point to performers associated with Grammy Album of the Year wins: Taylor Swift, Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Sheryl Crow, Harry Styles, Carole King, and the Jones clue. TechRadar reported in its February 2, 2025 guide that Swift had four Album of the Year victories and held the record at that time; that is a dated claim, not a statement of the current record. The puzzle’s hints, answers, and reported spangram endpoints were published by TechRadar’s February 2, 2025 Strands guide.
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