#356Saturday, February 22, 2025
Strands answers for February 22, 2025 — “Here we (don't) go again” (#356)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for February 22, 2025 (puzzle #356) is TRAFFICJAM, a 10-letter answer to the theme "Here we (don't) go again". The 4 theme words are BLOCKAGE, CONGESTION, GRIDLOCK and OVERCROWDING.
Where is each answer on the February 22 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #356 is 4 theme words and one spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLOCKAGE | 8 | row 6, column 5 | row 5, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| CONGESTION | 10 | row 3, column 1 | row 3, column 6 | left to right |
| GRIDLOCK | 8 | row 3, column 4 | row 3, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| OVERCROWDING | 12 | row 6, column 1 | row 6, column 4 | left to right |
| TRAFFICJAM | 10 | row 4, column 1 | row 4, column 6 | left to right |
What did the February 22 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 — 10 letters4 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 N-G-E-S-T-I, row 2 reads O-D-L-O-C-O, row 3 reads C-I-R-G-K-N, row 4 reads T-F-F-J-A-M, row 5 reads R-A-I-C-G-E, row 6 reads O-V-E-G-B-A, row 7 reads R-C-R-N-L-K, and row 8 reads O-W-D-I-O-C.
How hard was the February 22 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #356 as hard: it sits at the 89th 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 February 22 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #356 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Dan Falokun. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the February 22 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on February 22, 2025?
The Strands clue for February 22, 2025 is “Here we (don't) go again”, on puzzle #356. It is answered by the spangram TRAFFICJAM, and all 4 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on February 22, 2025?
The 4 Strands theme words for February 22, 2025 are BLOCKAGE, CONGESTION, GRIDLOCK and OVERCROWDING, plus the spangram TRAFFICJAM.
What was the big word in the February 22, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for February 22, 2025 is TRAFFICJAM, 10 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 4, 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 “Here we (don't) go again” mean?
The Strands theme “Here we (don't) go again” for February 22, 2025 means TRAFFICJAM — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 4 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands February 22, 2025?
Strands puzzle #356 has 4 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the February 22, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #356 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 89% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on February 22, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Saturday, February 22, 2025 is #356, 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 February 2025, part of the full Strands archive.