#437Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Strands answers for May 14, 2025 — “Boogie woogie woogie” (#437)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for May 14, 2025 (puzzle #437) is LINEDANCE, a 9-letter answer to the theme "Boogie woogie woogie". The 5 theme words are FOOTLOOSE, HUSTLE, LOCOMOTION, MACARENA and WOBBLE.
Where is each answer on the May 14 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #437 is 5 theme words and one spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOOTLOOSE | 9 | row 4, column 4 | row 4, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| HUSTLE | 6 | row 6, column 3 | row 4, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| LOCOMOTION | 10 | row 7, column 5 | row 4, column 6 | bottom to top |
| MACARENA | 8 | row 2, column 3 | row 3, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| WOBBLE | 6 | row 6, column 1 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| LINEDANCE | 9 | row 1, column 4 | row 8, column 4 | top to bottom |
What did the May 14 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 — 9 letters5 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 R-C-A-L-T-L, row 2 reads E-A-M-I-O-O, row 3 reads N-A-N-O-S-O, row 4 reads E-S-E-F-E-N, row 5 reads L-T-U-D-I-O, row 6 reads W-O-H-A-T-O, row 7 reads B-B-N-O-L-M, and row 8 reads E-L-C-E-C-O.
How hard was the May 14 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #437 as hard: it sits at the 98th 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 May 14 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #437 was edited by Tracy Bennett, who also constructed it. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the May 14 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on May 14, 2025?
The Strands clue for May 14, 2025 is “Boogie woogie woogie”, on puzzle #437. It is answered by the spangram LINEDANCE, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on May 14, 2025?
The 5 Strands theme words for May 14, 2025 are FOOTLOOSE, HUSTLE, LOCOMOTION, MACARENA and WOBBLE, plus the spangram LINEDANCE.
What was the big word in the May 14, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for May 14, 2025 is LINEDANCE, 9 letters long, running from row 1, column 4 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 “Boogie woogie woogie” mean?
The Strands theme “Boogie woogie woogie” for May 14, 2025 means LINEDANCE — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 5 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands May 14, 2025?
Strands puzzle #437 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the May 14, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #437 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 98% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on May 14, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 is #437, 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 May 2025, part of the full Strands archive.