#404Friday, April 11, 2025
Strands answers for April 11, 2025 — “Buzzing in” (#404)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for April 11, 2025 (puzzle #404) is GAMESHOWS, a 9-letter answer to the theme "Buzzing in". The 5 theme words are CATCHPHRASE, JEOPARDY, LINGO, PASSWORD and PYRAMID.
Where is each answer on the April 11 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #404 is 5 theme words and one spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 6 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CATCHPHRASE | 11 | row 8, column 6 | row 7, column 3 | right to left |
| JEOPARDY | 8 | row 1, column 2 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| LINGO | 5 | row 6, column 6 | row 2, column 6 | bottom to top |
| PASSWORD | 8 | row 5, column 2 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| PYRAMID | 7 | row 3, column 5 | row 1, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| GAMESHOWS | 9 | row 5, column 1 | row 7, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the April 11 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #404 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 9 letters5 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads Y-J-R-A-D-I, row 2 reads D-R-E-Y-M-O, row 3 reads A-O-M-E-P-G, row 4 reads P-A-R-H-S-N, row 5 reads G-P-A-P-H-I, row 6 reads A-D-S-H-O-L, row 7 reads S-R-E-C-W-S, and row 8 reads S-W-O-T-A-C.
How hard was the April 11 Strands puzzle?
Strands #404 scores average on our difficulty index, harder than 33% of every Strands puzzle published so far.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the April 11 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #404 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Christina Iverson. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the April 11 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on April 11, 2025?
The Strands clue for April 11, 2025 is “Buzzing in”, on puzzle #404. It is answered by the spangram GAMESHOWS, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on April 11, 2025?
The 5 Strands theme words for April 11, 2025 are CATCHPHRASE, JEOPARDY, LINGO, PASSWORD and PYRAMID, plus the spangram GAMESHOWS.
What was the big word in the April 11, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for April 11, 2025 is GAMESHOWS, 9 letters long, running from row 5, column 1 to row 7, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Buzzing in” mean?
The Strands theme “Buzzing in” for April 11, 2025 means GAMESHOWS — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 5 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands April 11, 2025?
Strands puzzle #404 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the April 11, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #404 rates average on a computed index, harder than 33% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on April 11, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Friday, April 11, 2025 is #404, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in April 2025, part of the full Strands archive.