#656Friday, December 19, 2025
Strands answers for December 19, 2025 — “On the chopping block” (#656)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for December 19, 2025 (puzzle #656) is MAKINGTHECUT, a 12-letter answer to the theme "On the chopping block". The 6 theme words are CHIFFONADE, CUBE, DICE, JULIENNE, MINCE and SLICE.
Where is each answer on the December 19 Strands board?
The 6 theme words for Strands on December 19, 2025 are listed below, followed by the spangram.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHIFFONADE | 10 | row 4, column 3 | row 4, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| CUBE | 4 | row 1, column 5 | row 2, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| DICE | 4 | row 7, column 6 | row 8, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| JULIENNE | 8 | row 1, column 1 | row 2, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| MINCE | 5 | row 6, column 2 | row 7, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| SLICE | 5 | row 5, column 2 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| MAKINGTHECUT | 12 | row 3, column 1 | row 6, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the December 19 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for December 19, 2025 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 12 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 J-U-L-I-C-U, row 2 reads E-N-N-E-E-B, row 3 reads M-A-K-I-N-G, row 4 reads I-L-C-E-T-H, row 5 reads C-S-H-D-C-E, row 6 reads E-M-I-A-U-T, row 7 reads I-E-F-N-I-D, and row 8 reads N-C-F-O-E-C.
How hard was the December 19 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the December 19, 2025 puzzle lands in the easy range — above 25% of all Strands puzzles.
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 19 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #656 was edited by Tracy Bennett, who also constructed it. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the December 19 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on December 19, 2025?
The Strands clue for December 19, 2025 is “On the chopping block”, on puzzle #656. It is answered by the spangram MAKINGTHECUT, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on December 19, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for December 19, 2025 are CHIFFONADE, CUBE, DICE, JULIENNE, MINCE and SLICE, plus the spangram MAKINGTHECUT.
What was the big word in the December 19, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for December 19, 2025 is MAKINGTHECUT, 12 letters long, running from row 3, column 1 to row 6, 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 “On the chopping block” mean?
The Strands theme “On the chopping block” for December 19, 2025 means MAKINGTHECUT — 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 19, 2025?
Strands puzzle #656 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the December 19, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #656 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 25% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on December 19, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Friday, December 19, 2025 is #656, 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 2025, part of the full Strands archive.