#329Sunday, January 26, 2025
Strands answers for January 26, 2025 — “Ore so they say” (#329)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for January 26, 2025 (puzzle #329) is PUREMETAL, a 9-letter answer to the theme "Ore so they say". The 6 theme words are ALUMINUM, CADMIUM, COBALT, IRON, NICKEL and TITANIUM.
Where is each answer on the January 26 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #329 is 6 theme words and one 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALUMINUM | 8 | row 1, column 2 | row 4, column 2 | top to bottom |
| CADMIUM | 7 | row 8, column 5 | row 3, column 5 | bottom to top |
| COBALT | 6 | row 7, column 4 | row 3, column 4 | bottom to top |
| IRON | 4 | row 5, column 1 | row 4, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| NICKEL | 6 | row 1, column 4 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| TITANIUM | 8 | row 6, column 2 | row 6, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| PUREMETAL | 9 | row 1, column 3 | row 7, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the January 26 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #329 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 9 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 I-A-P-N-I-C, row 2 reads N-M-L-U-K-E, row 3 reads U-U-R-T-M-L, row 4 reads R-M-N-E-L-U, row 5 reads I-O-M-B-A-I, row 6 reads I-T-M-E-O-M, row 7 reads T-U-T-C-L-D, and row 8 reads A-N-I-A-C-A.
How hard was the January 26 Strands puzzle?
Strands #329 scores hard on our difficulty index, harder than 84% 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 January 26 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #329 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 January 26 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on January 26, 2025?
The Strands clue for January 26, 2025 is “Ore so they say”, on puzzle #329. It is answered by the spangram PUREMETAL, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on January 26, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for January 26, 2025 are ALUMINUM, CADMIUM, COBALT, IRON, NICKEL and TITANIUM, plus the spangram PUREMETAL.
What was the big word in the January 26, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for January 26, 2025 is PUREMETAL, 9 letters long, running from row 1, column 3 to row 7, column 5. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Ore so they say” mean?
The Strands theme “Ore so they say” for January 26, 2025 means PUREMETAL — 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 January 26, 2025?
Strands puzzle #329 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the January 26, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #329 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 84% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on January 26, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, January 26, 2025 is #329, 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 January 2025, part of the full Strands archive.