#332Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Strands answers for January 29, 2025 — “Show of hands” (#332)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for January 29, 2025 (puzzle #332) is PUPPETMASTER, a 12-letter answer to the theme "Show of hands". The 6 theme words are FINGER, GLOVE, MARIONETTE, SHADOW, SOCK and STICK.
Where is each answer on the January 29 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #332 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FINGER | 6 | row 8, column 6 | row 7, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| GLOVE | 5 | row 5, column 5 | row 3, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| MARIONETTE | 10 | row 5, column 1 | row 1, column 1 | bottom to top |
| SHADOW | 6 | row 6, column 2 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| SOCK | 4 | row 1, column 5 | row 1, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| STICK | 5 | row 5, column 6 | row 7, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| PUPPETMASTER | 12 | row 1, column 6 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the January 29 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #332 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
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 E-T-K-O-S-P, row 2 reads T-E-N-C-U-V, row 3 reads R-O-S-P-E-O, row 4 reads A-I-T-A-P-L, row 5 reads M-E-M-E-G-S, row 6 reads R-S-T-C-I-T, row 7 reads W-H-K-G-E-R, and row 8 reads O-D-A-N-I-F.
How hard was the January 29 Strands puzzle?
Strands #332 scores average on our difficulty index, harder than 44% 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 29 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #332 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Mónico Chávez. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the January 29 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on January 29, 2025?
The Strands clue for January 29, 2025 is “Show of hands”, on puzzle #332. It is answered by the spangram PUPPETMASTER, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on January 29, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for January 29, 2025 are FINGER, GLOVE, MARIONETTE, SHADOW, SOCK and STICK, plus the spangram PUPPETMASTER.
What was the big word in the January 29, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for January 29, 2025 is PUPPETMASTER, 12 letters long, running from row 1, column 6 to row 6, column 1. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Show of hands” mean?
The Strands theme “Show of hands” for January 29, 2025 means PUPPETMASTER — 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 29, 2025?
Strands puzzle #332 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the January 29, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #332 rates average on a computed index, harder than 44% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on January 29, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 is #332, 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.