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NYT Strands Answer & Hints — “Sun shade”, February 17, 2025

Stuck on the February 17, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle? Here are progressive hints and the full answer for the “Sun shade” puzzle (Strands #48 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 February 17, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle. Scroll past this section if you want to solve it yourself first.
Hint 1: The themeReveal

The theme for the February 17, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle is “Sun shade”. 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 “Sun shade” puzzle is 6 letters long and starts with the letter Y. It touches two opposite edges of the grid, as every NYT Strands spangram does.

Hint 3: How many theme wordsReveal

Besides the spangram, the February 17, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle has 6 theme words. Together with the spangram, they use every letter on the 6×8 grid exactly once.

Answer: Full spangramReveal

The spangram for the February 17, 2025 NYT Strands “Sun shade” puzzle is YELLOW. It spans two opposite edges of the 6×8 grid and captures the theme directly.

Answer: All theme wordsReveal

Here are the 6 theme words for the February 17, 2025 NYT Strands “Sun shade” puzzle:

  • CANARY
  • DAFFODIL
  • GOLDENROD
  • LEMON
  • MUSTARD
  • SAFFRON

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

Answers for the February 17, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle. Strands Unlimited is an independent fan archive — today's NYT Strands is free on nytimes.com/games/strands.

About the "Sun shade" NYT Strands puzzle

"Sun shade" — a theme that invites you to explore a specific concept through the lens of this Strands puzzle. The phrase describes a mood, setting, or idea, and every theme word hidden in the 6×8 grid belongs to that same world. This general puzzle uses its descriptive title to guide your intuition. Start by brainstorming words that come to mind when you read the theme, then look for them on the board.

This puzzle has 6 theme words hidden in the grid — a balanced count that gives you enough to work with without overwhelming the board. 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 Monday, Puzzle #48 is from the early days of the Strands archive — one of the original puzzles that established the game's style.

#48
Puzzle Number
6
Theme Words
6
Spangram Letters
Medium
Difficulty

How to approach "Sun shade"

  • The theme paints a picture. Brainstorm 5-10 words that come to mind when you read it, then scan the grid for those words or close variants.
  • Start by scanning the grid edges for the spangram — it must connect two opposite sides. Once you find it, the theme becomes clear and the remaining words are easier to spot.
  • If the theme seems abstract, look for concrete nouns first. Most Strands puzzles hide everyday words (objects, animals, foods, places) rather than abstract concepts.
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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.