NYT Strands puzzle focuses on the concept of nothingness and absence
The spangram DIDDLYSQUAT unites words like ZERO, NADA, and ZIPPO
Theme words are quirky expressions for emptiness across languages and slang
Let’s be honest, there’s a certain kind of pleasure to backing out of the daily drudge to immerse yourself in a puzzle that demands nothing more than curiosity and a little intellectual firepower. Strands is not merely a word puzzle, it’s a stealthy act of defiance against productivity, a temporary pass to drift through letters and words for the sheer pleasure of it.
So, whether you’re avoiding responsibility, enjoying something hot, or just need a mental snack, grab a snack and settle in. Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is here to treat you to a whole bunch of… nothing.
This week’s puzzle is one of emptiness, but a poetic variety. It dances around the peripheries of life, commenting on what is not present. The subject matter is the words we use to define the voids, the blanks, the silences. It’s a puzzle filled with zeroes, but it tells us much.
For beginners: Strands has an 8-by-6 grid of letters. Your mission? Reveal eight theme words that have a connection in common. Once you find one, it lights blue. And then there’s the spangram, a word or phrase that bridges the board, tying opposite ends and making the puzzle’s underlying concept clear. When you uncover it, it lights yellow. It’s the puzzle’s mic drop.
Equal parts humorous and definitive, diddlysquat ties all of this up with a ribbon. It’s the headliner, a loud, proud "absolutely nothing." It’s a celebration of the emptiness, the lack, the underappreciated state of zero.
NAUGHT – A bygone zero with Shakespearean panache.
ZILCH – A snappy, satisfying sound, like a door slamming on hope.
ZIPPO – No flame in sight, just the emptiness.
BUPKIS – Sassy nothing.
NADA – All Spanish for absolutely nothing.
ZERO – The original nothing. Pure. Whole.
NOTHING – The plain truth, loud and clear.
Sometimes the greatest puzzles are not about uncovering secrets, but about identifying what is absent. Today’s Strands is a lighthearted plunge into the various manifestations of nothingness, from the sublime to the ridiculous. It’s a lesson that even nothing has existence, and even an empty board can create a masterpiece.
So go for it, rejoice in the void. There’s nothing quite like it.