#441Sunday, May 18, 2025
Strands answers for May 18, 2025 — “Riding the wind” (#441)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for May 18, 2025 (puzzle #441) is SAILBOAT, a 8-letter answer to the theme "Riding the wind". The 8 theme words are HELM, HULL, KEEL, MAST, RIGGING, RUDDER, STERN and TILLER.
Where is each answer on the May 18 Strands board?
Here are all 8 theme words from the May 18, 2025 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HELM | 4 | row 3, column 6 | row 2, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| HULL | 4 | row 5, column 3 | row 5, column 6 | left to right |
| KEEL | 4 | row 7, column 1 | row 5, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| MAST | 4 | row 3, column 1 | row 1, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| RIGGING | 7 | row 1, column 6 | row 3, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| RUDDER | 6 | row 6, column 6 | row 6, column 2 | right to left |
| STERN | 5 | row 7, column 2 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| TILLER | 6 | row 7, column 4 | row 8, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| SAILBOAT | 8 | row 4, column 1 | row 4, column 6 | left to right |
What did the May 18 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 9 words tile all 48 cells of the May 18, 2025 grid.
Spangram — 8 letters8 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 S-T-I-G-I-R, row 2 reads A-N-B-G-L-M, row 3 reads M-G-L-O-E-H, row 4 reads S-A-I-U-A-T, row 5 reads E-L-H-D-L-L, row 6 reads E-R-E-D-U-R, row 7 reads K-S-T-T-I-L, and row 8 reads N-R-E-R-E-L.
How hard was the May 18 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #441 comes out easy, ahead of 7% of them.
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 18 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #441 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 18 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on May 18, 2025?
The Strands clue for May 18, 2025 is “Riding the wind”, on puzzle #441. It is answered by the spangram SAILBOAT, and all 8 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on May 18, 2025?
The 8 Strands theme words for May 18, 2025 are HELM, HULL, KEEL, MAST, RIGGING, RUDDER, STERN and TILLER, plus the spangram SAILBOAT.
What was the big word in the May 18, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for May 18, 2025 is SAILBOAT, 8 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 4, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Riding the wind” mean?
The Strands theme “Riding the wind” for May 18, 2025 means SAILBOAT — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 8 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands May 18, 2025?
Strands puzzle #441 has 8 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the May 18, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #441 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 7% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on May 18, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, May 18, 2025 is #441, 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.