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NYT Strands Answer & Hints — “Thar she blows!”, January 15, 2025

Stuck on the January 15, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle? Here are progressive hints and the full answer for the “Thar she blows!” puzzle (Strands #15 of 509 in our archive). Every reveal is hidden by default — click to open the ones you need.

Spoiler warning. The answers below are for the January 15, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle. Scroll past this section if you want to solve it yourself first.
Hint 1: The themeReveal

The theme for the January 15, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle is “Thar she blows!”. Every theme word and the spangram connects back to this phrase, so think about what related words might fit a 6×8 grid of 48 letters before you start scanning.

Hint 2: Spangram length and first letterReveal

The spangram for the “Thar she blows!” puzzle is 6 letters long and starts with the letter W. It touches two opposite edges of the grid, as every NYT Strands spangram does.

Hint 3: How many theme wordsReveal

Besides the spangram, the January 15, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle has 8 theme words. Together with the spangram, they use every letter on the 6×8 grid exactly once.

Answer: Full spangramReveal

The spangram for the January 15, 2025 NYT Strands “Thar she blows!” puzzle is WHALES. It spans two opposite edges of the 6×8 grid and captures the theme directly.

Answer: All theme wordsReveal

Here are the 8 theme words for the January 15, 2025 NYT Strands “Thar she blows!” puzzle:

  • BALEEN
  • BELUGA
  • BLUE
  • GRAY
  • HUMPBACK
  • ORCA
  • RIGHT
  • SPERM

Plus the spangram WHALES, that’s every word on the grid — all 48 letters accounted for.

Answers for the January 15, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle. Strands Unlimited is an independent fan archive — today's NYT Strands is free on nytimes.com/games/strands.

About the "Thar she blows!" NYT Strands puzzle

"Thar she blows!" — the exclamation mark says it all. This Strands puzzle brings energy and emphasis to its theme, and you can expect the hidden words to carry that same spirit. Exclamatory themes in Strands often reference vivid expressions, dramatic moments, or well-known catchphrases. The spangram ties it all together by naming the concept that makes you want to shout this phrase in the first place.

At 8 theme words, this is one of the denser puzzles in the archive. The grid is packed, so words will be closer together. The 6-letter spangram is on the shorter side, which can actually make it harder to spot — shorter words have fewer distinctive letter patterns to latch onto. Originally published on a Wednesday, Puzzle #15 is from the early days of the Strands archive — one of the original puzzles that established the game's style.

#15
Puzzle Number
8
Theme Words
6
Spangram Letters
Challenging
Difficulty

How to approach "Thar she blows!"

  • The energetic theme title suggests vivid, expressive vocabulary. Look for words that match the theme's bold tone and emotional charge.
  • There are 8 theme words packed into this grid. Try to find 2-3 shorter words first to free up space and make the remaining words easier to trace.
  • Longer words are often easier to find first because they have more distinctive letter sequences. Save short 4-5 letter words for last when the grid is more open.
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Strands Unlimited is an independent fan archive of past Strands puzzles. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The New York Times Company. NYT Strands is a trademark of The New York Times Company. Today's daily puzzle is free at nytimes.com/games/strands.