Loading puzzle...

NYT Strands Answer & Hints — “Together for the present”, February 20, 2025

Stuck on the February 20, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle? Here are progressive hints and the full answer for the “Together for the present” puzzle (Strands #51 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 20, 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 20, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle is “Together for the present”. 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 “Together for the present” puzzle is 11 letters long and starts with the letter A. 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 20, 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 20, 2025 NYT Strands “Together for the present” puzzle is ANNIVERSARY. 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 20, 2025 NYT Strands “Together for the present” puzzle:

  • DIAMOND
  • FIFTIETH
  • FIRST
  • GOLD
  • PAPER
  • SIXTIETH

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

Answers for the February 20, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle. Strands Unlimited is an independent fan archive — today's NYT Strands is free on nytimes.com/games/strands.

About the "Together for the present" NYT Strands puzzle

The theme "Together for the present" sets the scene for this Strands puzzle with a descriptive phrase that hints at what the hidden words have in common. Descriptive themes in Strands work like a title for a category — they paint a picture, and the theme words are the details that fill it in. This nature & animals puzzle asks you to find words that fit within the world the theme describes, with the spangram acting as the key that connects them all.

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 11-letter spangram is notably long, consuming a good chunk of the grid's 48 letters. Its size makes it easier to find if you focus on the grid's edges. Originally published on a Thursday, Puzzle #51 is from the early days of the Strands archive — one of the original puzzles that established the game's style.

#51
Puzzle Number
6
Theme Words
11
Spangram Letters
Challenging
Difficulty

How to approach "Together for the present"

  • 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.
  • The long 11-letter spangram is your best starting point. Scan the edges of the grid — the spangram must start on one side and end on the opposite side.
  • Theme words can bend and curve in any direction, including diagonals. They don't follow straight lines like a traditional word search — trace paths that zigzag across the grid.
PreviousAll NYT Strands answersNext

More puzzles from February 2025

28 Fri
Nautical ink
27 Thu
Living large
26 Wed
Fire represents your life
25 Tue
Life is like a box of chocolates
24 Mon
Step to it
23 Sun
Oh, this old thing?
View all February puzzles

More NYT Strands puzzles

Apr 15
Gift of the month
Sep 23
On the syllabus
May 30
We'll be there
May 29
E-I-E-I-O
May 28
Talking scents
May 27
Ketchup or mustard?
May 25
Thank you
May 24
Turn, turn, turn

Sister Sites · More logic puzzles

Queens
Region logic, daily + 1,500 puzzles
Patches
Region-stitching puzzle
Tango
No 3-in-a-row pattern
Zip
Path-drawing puzzle
Mini Sudoku
Compact sudoku
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.