Another day, another Strands puzzle — and this one gave me a run for my money. If you’re here, odds are you’re stuck somewhere in that stubborn 6×8 grid, trying to squeeze a coherent theme out of random letters. Fear not! Let’s break down the hints, theme, spangram, and all the answers to help you wrap up today’s NYT Strands puzzle.
How To Play Strands
In case you’re new to Strands (or need a refresher after tossing your phone in frustration), here’s the quick rundown:
- Each day brings a fresh NYT Strands puzzle with a 6×8 letter grid.
- Your goal? Find a set of theme-related words hidden within.
- Once you find a valid theme word, it gets highlighted in blue.
- There’s also a spangram, a special word that connects two opposite sides of the board. It usually summarizes the puzzle’s theme and is highlighted in yellow.
- The puzzle is still in beta, so the more you play, the more likely it is to stick around permanently.
Sometimes the theme is straightforward. Other times, it’s abstract or emotional — like today’s.
Also read: ‘Quordle’ Hints and Answers for Tuesday, May 13 (Puzzle #1205)
Today’s Strands Theme Hint for may 13, 2025
First, here’s the official hint from The New York Times:
Keep on keeping on
Sounds vague? That’s because it kind of is. It suggests perseverance, grit, and inner drive — but doesn’t give much away initially.
Here’s my own hint, which might help nudge you in the right direction:
Inner strength
It’s less about external things or objects today and more about the mental toughness required to face challenges.
What’s Today’s Spangram?
Spoiler warning ahead. If you want to solve it on your own, now’s the time to close this tab and stare at the grid a little longer. Still here? Alright, let’s dive in.
The Spangram is:
STAYSTRONG
It cuts cleanly across the board and ties the entire theme together. Once you find this, the rest of the words start to click.
This isn’t one of those “Oh I see it immediately” spangrams. It took me a while to even start guessing words that might be in the same semantic neighborhood. But once “STAYSTRONG” lit up the grid in yellow, the rest followed (eventually).
All The Theme Words
Here’s the complete list of today’s theme words, each of which fits under the umbrella of persistence, endurance, and mental fortitude:
- SURVIVE
- PERSIST
- PERSEVERE
- LAST
- ENDURE
- ABIDE
At first glance, some of these might seem a bit unrelated, but if you think about it, they’re all verbs or actions associated with sticking it out, getting through adversity, and not giving up. “ABIDE” was probably the trickiest of the bunch — not the kind of word most people think of when it comes to strength or resilience. But in the deeper, more poetic sense, it fits right in.
Related:
Thoughts On Today’s Puzzle
This one was sneaky hard. Not because of any word tricks or bizarre grid layouts, but because the theme was conceptually abstract. Unlike puzzles that are centered around, say, “types of fruit” or “kitchen utensils,” this theme demanded you think emotionally rather than logically.
I’ll admit it — I flailed for a bit. I thought of the word “SALT” at least five times, convinced it had to fit somewhere. (Spoiler: it didn’t.) I also chased dead ends like “STRONG,” “TOUGH,” and “BOLD” before realizing the puzzle was steering me toward something deeper.
Once I got a few words like “ENDURE” and “PERSIST,” the rest of the answers came into view — but only after a lot of trial and error.
Also read: Today’s Wordle Hints, Clues and Answer for Puzzle #1424 on May 13
Final Thoughts
Overall, this was a solid, slightly tougher NYT Strands puzzle than average. It pushed you to think beyond categories and into abstract connections between ideas. And once again, the spangram really was the key that helped unlock everything else.
If you’re feeling like your brain just did a mental marathon — congrats. That means you stuck with it. You endured. You persisted. You stayed strong.
And hey, that’s the whole point, right?
