#662Thursday, December 25, 2025
Strands answers for December 25, 2025 — “Caroler's count” (#662)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for December 25, 2025 (puzzle #662) is CHRISTMASDAYS, a 13-letter answer to the theme "Caroler's count". The 6 theme words are DRUMMERS, LADIES, LORDS, MAIDS, PIPERS and SWANS.
Where is each answer on the December 25 Strands board?
Strands #662 resolves to these 6 theme words plus the spangram CHRISTMASDAYS.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DRUMMERS | 8 | row 1, column 4 | row 2, column 1 | right to left |
| LADIES | 6 | row 7, column 4 | row 5, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| LORDS | 5 | row 7, column 1 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| MAIDS | 5 | row 4, column 3 | row 4, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| PIPERS | 6 | row 8, column 6 | row 3, column 6 | bottom to top |
| SWANS | 5 | row 5, column 4 | row 8, column 5 | top to bottom |
| CHRISTMASDAYS | 13 | row 3, column 1 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the December 25 Strands grid look like?
The grid below is six letters wide and eight rows deep, with every answer traced through the letters it uses.
Spangram — 13 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 R-M-R-D-Y-S, row 2 reads S-E-M-U-S-A, row 3 reads C-H-I-A-D-S, row 4 reads S-R-M-S-M-R, row 5 reads D-A-S-S-T-E, row 6 reads I-E-D-A-W-P, row 7 reads L-O-I-L-A-I, and row 8 reads S-D-R-N-S-P.
How hard was the December 25 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #662 as above average: it sits at the 62th percentile of every Strands grid to date.
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 25 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #662 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Vanessa Johnson. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the December 25 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on December 25, 2025?
The Strands clue for December 25, 2025 is “Caroler's count”, on puzzle #662. It is answered by the spangram CHRISTMASDAYS, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on December 25, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for December 25, 2025 are DRUMMERS, LADIES, LORDS, MAIDS, PIPERS and SWANS, plus the spangram CHRISTMASDAYS.
What was the big word in the December 25, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for December 25, 2025 is CHRISTMASDAYS, 13 letters long, running from row 3, column 1 to row 1, 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 “Caroler's count” mean?
The Strands theme “Caroler's count” for December 25, 2025 means CHRISTMASDAYS — 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 25, 2025?
Strands puzzle #662 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the December 25, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #662 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 62% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on December 25, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, December 25, 2025 is #662, 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.