#454Saturday, May 31, 2025
Strands answers for May 31, 2025 — “Next to the bobby pins” (#454)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for May 31, 2025 (puzzle #454) is HAIRACCESSORIES, a 15-letter answer to the theme "Next to the bobby pins". The 5 theme words are BARRETTE, CLAW, CLIP, HEADBAND and SCRUNCHIE.
Where is each answer on the May 31 Strands board?
The 5 theme words for Strands on May 31, 2025 are listed below, followed by the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BARRETTE | 8 | row 3, column 2 | row 6, column 2 | top to bottom |
| CLAW | 4 | row 7, column 2 | row 8, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| CLIP | 4 | row 2, column 2 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| HEADBAND | 8 | row 6, column 6 | row 5, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| SCRUNCHIE | 9 | row 1, column 5 | row 2, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| HAIRACCESSORIES | 15 | row 1, column 4 | row 8, column 3 | top to bottom |
What did the May 31 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for May 31, 2025 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 15 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 P-I-A-H-S-C, row 2 reads L-C-I-R-R-E, row 3 reads A-B-C-A-U-I, row 4 reads R-R-C-E-N-H, row 5 reads E-T-S-S-D-C, row 6 reads T-E-O-R-N-H, row 7 reads L-C-E-I-A-E, and row 8 reads A-W-S-B-D-A.
How hard was the May 31 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the May 31, 2025 puzzle lands in the hard range — above 94% of all Strands puzzles.
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 31 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #454 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Christina Iverson. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the May 31 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on May 31, 2025?
The Strands clue for May 31, 2025 is “Next to the bobby pins”, on puzzle #454. It is answered by the spangram HAIRACCESSORIES, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on May 31, 2025?
The 5 Strands theme words for May 31, 2025 are BARRETTE, CLAW, CLIP, HEADBAND and SCRUNCHIE, plus the spangram HAIRACCESSORIES.
What was the big word in the May 31, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for May 31, 2025 is HAIRACCESSORIES, 15 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 “Next to the bobby pins” mean?
The Strands theme “Next to the bobby pins” for May 31, 2025 means HAIRACCESSORIES — 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 31, 2025?
Strands puzzle #454 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the May 31, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #454 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 94% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on May 31, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Saturday, May 31, 2025 is #454, 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.