#383Friday, March 21, 2025
Strands answers for March 21, 2025 — “Ode to the aubergine” (#383)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for March 21, 2025 (puzzle #383) is EGGPLANTDISH, a 12-letter answer to the theme "Ode to the aubergine". The 4 theme words are MOUSSAKA, PARMIGIANA, RATATOUILLE and STUFFED.
Where is each answer on the March 21 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #383 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOUSSAKA | 8 | row 6, column 5 | row 7, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| PARMIGIANA | 10 | row 1, column 2 | row 4, column 1 | top to bottom |
| RATATOUILLE | 11 | row 1, column 6 | row 6, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| STUFFED | 7 | row 5, column 1 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| EGGPLANTDISH | 12 | row 1, column 4 | row 8, column 3 | top to bottom |
What did the March 21 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 — 12 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 A-P-G-E-A-R, row 2 reads R-I-P-G-A-T, row 3 reads M-G-L-A-O-T, row 4 reads A-N-I-N-I-U, row 5 reads S-A-D-T-L-L, row 6 reads T-U-I-E-M-O, row 7 reads D-F-S-A-S-U, and row 8 reads E-F-H-K-A-S.
How hard was the March 21 Strands puzzle?
On this index, the March 21, 2025 puzzle sits at the top of the whole archive: nothing published scores harder.
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 March 21 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #383 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Bess Fernandez. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the March 21 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on March 21, 2025?
The Strands clue for March 21, 2025 is “Ode to the aubergine”, on puzzle #383. It is answered by the spangram EGGPLANTDISH, and all 4 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on March 21, 2025?
The 4 Strands theme words for March 21, 2025 are MOUSSAKA, PARMIGIANA, RATATOUILLE and STUFFED, plus the spangram EGGPLANTDISH.
What was the big word in the March 21, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for March 21, 2025 is EGGPLANTDISH, 12 letters long, running from row 1, column 4 to row 8, column 3. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Ode to the aubergine” mean?
The Strands theme “Ode to the aubergine” for March 21, 2025 means EGGPLANTDISH — 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 March 21, 2025?
Strands puzzle #383 has 4 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the March 21, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #383 is the hardest puzzle on the computed difficulty index — no Strands grid published since March 2024 rates above it.
What number was the Strands puzzle on March 21, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Friday, March 21, 2025 is #383, 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 March 2025, part of the full Strands archive.