#286Saturday, December 14, 2024
Strands answers for December 14, 2024 — “Nothing can stop me!” (#286)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for December 14, 2024 (puzzle #286) is GOGETTER, a 8-letter answer to the theme "Nothing can stop me!". The 6 theme words are DEVOTION, DRIVE, FIRE, INTENSITY, PASSION and PURPOSE.
Where is each answer on the December 14 Strands board?
Strands #286 resolves to these 6 theme words plus the spangram GOGETTER.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEVOTION | 8 | row 3, column 6 | row 2, column 2 | right to left |
| DRIVE | 5 | row 1, column 4 | row 1, column 1 | right to left |
| FIRE | 4 | row 1, column 5 | row 2, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| INTENSITY | 9 | row 8, column 1 | row 8, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| PASSION | 7 | row 6, column 6 | row 6, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| PURPOSE | 7 | row 7, column 5 | row 6, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| GOGETTER | 8 | row 5, column 2 | row 5, column 6 | left to right |
What did the December 14 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #286 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 8 letters6 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 E-I-R-D-F-R, row 2 reads V-N-O-V-I-E, row 3 reads O-T-E-T-E-D, row 4 reads I-G-S-S-T-E, row 5 reads O-G-I-O-A-R, row 6 reads T-E-S-E-N-P, row 7 reads N-N-I-S-P-R, and row 8 reads I-T-Y-O-P-U.
How hard was the December 14 Strands puzzle?
Strands #286 scores above average on our difficulty index, harder than 61% 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 December 14 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #286 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Shafik Quoraishee. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the December 14 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on December 14, 2024?
The Strands clue for December 14, 2024 is “Nothing can stop me!”, on puzzle #286. It is answered by the spangram GOGETTER, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on December 14, 2024?
The 6 Strands theme words for December 14, 2024 are DEVOTION, DRIVE, FIRE, INTENSITY, PASSION and PURPOSE, plus the spangram GOGETTER.
What was the big word in the December 14, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for December 14, 2024 is GOGETTER, 8 letters long, running from row 5, column 2 to row 5, 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 “Nothing can stop me!” mean?
The Strands theme “Nothing can stop me!” for December 14, 2024 means GOGETTER — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands December 14, 2024?
Strands puzzle #286 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the December 14, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #286 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 61% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on December 14, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Saturday, December 14, 2024 is #286, 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 December 2024, part of the full Strands archive.