NYT Strands brings floral flair to the grid with today’s wedding-inspired theme
The spangram FLOWERGIRLS anchors the puzzle with charm and ceremony
Today’s words include popular blooms like DAISY, LILY, ROSE, and AZALEA
It’s Friday the 13th, a day that carries a bit of superstition, a dash of drama, and for puzzle lovers, a perfect excuse to chase some clever wordplay. While others dodge ladders and avoid black cats, you’re here to scatter petals across a 6x8 grid, one word at a time.
Today’s New York Times Strands puzzle offers a charming, flower-filled challenge that takes us straight to the heart of a wedding aisle.
Today’s puzzle is less of a romance and more of a ritual, the soft scattering of petals from the hands of little wedding players. Yes, this is a flower tribute to flower girls, those happy scene-stealers who clear the way for the big event. The grid is filled with flowers commonly in their baskets, totaling a pretty, scented path.
Whether you’ve walked the aisle or simply admired the procession from afar, you’ll find familiar floral names that make this puzzle a fragrant treat.
Don’t think gardens or grass, think ritual. Think lace stockings and white satin bouquets. The puzzle isn’t filled with plants; it’s filled with choice blooms, the kind that are chosen to be thrown, not planted.
Begin by imagining a petal-filled parade. What’s in her palm? What follows behind? These are the names waiting to be discovered.
Need a gentle push in the right direction? Type a few non-theme words like WOLF, AGER, VOAR, or FLOW. These fillers won’t solve the puzzle, but they’ll help unlock the Hint button and steer your next move.
The anchor of the puzzle is FLOWERGIRLS, running along the grid like a bouquet down the aisle. It binds the theme together and opens up the rest of the floral list. Spotting it makes everything else fall sweetly into position, like petals on the ground.
DAISY: Cheerful and innocent, usually the default flower for innocence and playfulness.
VIOLET: Tiny and dainty, this flower breathes refinement.
AZALEA: A splash of color and confidence, ideal for wedding glamour.
LILY: Graceful and symbolic, lilies evoke an ageless elegance.
PETUNIA: Colorful and full, ideal for filling in handfuls.
ROSE: Timeless, romantic, and perpetually wedding-perfect.
POPPY: Bright and bold, these flowers make the aisle pop.
While Friday the 13th might spook some, today’s Strands puzzle is anything but unlucky. It’s soft, sweet, and grounded in tradition. A reminder of how the smallest roles and the tiniest petals can leave the biggest impressions.
So go ahead, finish the grid, enjoy the moment, and maybe even plan a weekend stroll past a flower shop. You’ve earned it.