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NYT Strands Answer & Hints — “Get your mind out of the gutter”, April 12, 2025

Stuck on the April 12, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle? Here are progressive hints and the full answer for the “Get your mind out of the gutter” puzzle (Strands #99 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 April 12, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle. Scroll past this section if you want to solve it yourself first.
Hint 1: The themeReveal

The theme for the April 12, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle is “Get your mind out of the gutter”. 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 “Get your mind out of the gutter” puzzle is 10 letters long and starts with the letter D. It touches two opposite edges of the grid, as every NYT Strands spangram does.

Hint 3: How many theme wordsReveal

Besides the spangram, the April 12, 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 April 12, 2025 NYT Strands “Get your mind out of the gutter” puzzle is DIRTYWORDS. 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 April 12, 2025 NYT Strands “Get your mind out of the gutter” puzzle:

  • FILTHY
  • GRIMY
  • MUDDY
  • POLLUTED
  • STAINED
  • UNKEMPT

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

Answers for the April 12, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle. Strands Unlimited is an independent fan archive — today's NYT Strands is free on nytimes.com/games/strands.

About the "Get your mind out of the gutter" NYT Strands puzzle

The theme "Get your mind out of the gutter" tells you exactly where to focus. In Strands, imperative themes tend to be more straightforward than wordplay-based ones — the puzzle maker is pointing you toward a specific category of words. This arts & culture puzzle hides its theme words in the 6×8 grid, and they all relate to the action or concept described in the title. The spangram names the overarching idea.

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 10-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 Saturday, Puzzle #99 is from the early days of the Strands archive — one of the original puzzles that established the game's style.

#99
Puzzle Number
6
Theme Words
10
Spangram Letters
Medium
Difficulty

How to approach "Get your mind out of the gutter"

  • The theme reads as a direct instruction. Take it literally as your starting strategy — what words would you associate with following this command?
  • The long 10-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.
  • Try reading the grid edges clockwise. The spangram's first and last letters will be on opposite edges, and edge letters are the fastest way to identify spangram candidates.
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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.