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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallNYT Strands game #438, dated Thursday, May 15, 2025, has the theme “Animal drives.” Start with the hints below if you want to solve it yourself; the complete answer list is farther down.
Hints for NYT Strands #438
- Theme hint: Think of animal names connected to vehicles.
- Category hint: The theme words include familiar automobile model names.
- Spangram hint: It has 11 letters and names the category that ties the answers together.
- Placement hint: The spangram touches the left edge at row four and the right edge at row five.
Optional words reported as examples for earning in-game hints are BILE, MUSE, STAGE, BOOT, POEM, and PEEL. These are helper words, not theme answers. TechRadar’s puzzle guide lists them.
What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?
The theme is “Animal drives”: the answers are animal names that are also automobile model names.
Full answers for NYT Strands #438
Spoiler warning: The complete solution is below.
- BEETLE
- BRONCO
- MUSTANG
- RABBIT
- IMPALA
- JAGUAR
Spangram: AUTOMOBILES
The six theme words and spangram are reported by TechRadar and independently corroborated by Try Hard Guides.
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How Strands hints and the spangram work
In the general rules summary published by Parade, players find theme words to fill the board; the spangram describes the theme and reaches two opposite sides. Finding three non-theme words earns an in-game hint. This explanation is Parade’s account of the rules, rather than a direct citation to a current NYT rules page. Read Parade’s May 15 guide.
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