#359Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Strands answers for February 25, 2025 — “Life is like a box of chocolates” (#359)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for February 25, 2025 (puzzle #359) is FILLINGS, a 8-letter answer to the theme "Life is like a box of chocolates". The 6 theme words are ALMONDS, CARAMEL, LIQUEUR, NOUGAT, TOFFEE and TRUFFLE.
Where is each answer on the February 25 Strands board?
Here are all 6 theme words from the February 25, 2025 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALMONDS | 7 | row 3, column 5 | row 1, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| CARAMEL | 7 | row 3, column 1 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| LIQUEUR | 7 | row 8, column 3 | row 6, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| NOUGAT | 6 | row 4, column 3 | row 4, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| TOFFEE | 6 | row 6, column 5 | row 7, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| TRUFFLE | 7 | row 3, column 4 | row 4, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| FILLINGS | 8 | row 1, column 3 | row 8, column 4 | top to bottom |
What did the February 25 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 7 words tile all 48 cells of the February 25, 2025 grid.
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 L-E-F-S-D-N, row 2 reads M-A-R-I-O-M, row 3 reads C-A-L-T-A-L, row 4 reads T-O-N-L-R-E, row 5 reads A-U-I-U-F-L, row 6 reads G-U-R-N-T-F, row 7 reads E-U-G-O-E-E, and row 8 reads Q-I-L-S-F-F.
How hard was the February 25 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the February 25, 2025 puzzle lands in the hard range — above 81% 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 February 25 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #359 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 February 25 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on February 25, 2025?
The Strands clue for February 25, 2025 is “Life is like a box of chocolates”, on puzzle #359. It is answered by the spangram FILLINGS, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on February 25, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for February 25, 2025 are ALMONDS, CARAMEL, LIQUEUR, NOUGAT, TOFFEE and TRUFFLE, plus the spangram FILLINGS.
What was the big word in the February 25, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for February 25, 2025 is FILLINGS, 8 letters long, running from row 1, column 3 to row 8, column 4. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Life is like a box of chocolates” mean?
The Strands theme “Life is like a box of chocolates” for February 25, 2025 means FILLINGS — 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 February 25, 2025?
Strands puzzle #359 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the February 25, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #359 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 81% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on February 25, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 is #359, 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.