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Today’s puzzle builds its theme using single-word fragments from well-known Shakespeare plays.
The spangram “THE BARD” neatly links every answer to Shakespeare’s iconic literary legacy.
Recognizing familiar play titles helps anchor the grid and speed up the solving process.
NYT Strands crossword puzzle for December 12 is a literary one, dragging its grid directly into Shakespeare's universe. The difficulty will point out the play titles, which most people have heard, to the extent that they would feel a pleasant mix of drama, comedy, and classic tales. It is an entertaining crossword that is not very hard but still gives a nice reward to someone who knows the plays of the Bard.
The NYT Strands theme focuses on single words from the titles of Shakespeare’s plays. Instead of listing the full titles, the puzzle uses key title components, encouraging solvers to recall the complete works and identify the shared thread. It’s a clever way to revisit some of literature’s most iconic plays without spelling everything out.
Here are today’s hints, each pointing to a word pulled from a well-known Shakespearean title:
TW – 7 letters: From a story about mistaken identity at a festive celebration.
ME – 7 letters: Linked to a comedy set in Venice involving a controversial bond.
TE – 7 letters: Drawn from a tale of magic, storms, and island spirits.
MI – 9 letters: Part of a dreamlike story involving fairies and young lovers.
ME – 5 letters: Connected to a light-hearted Windsor comedy.
SH – 5 letters: From a fiery comedy featuring a battle of wits.
The full set of theme words includes:
TWELFTH
MERCHANT
TEMPEST
MIDSUMMER
MERRY
SHREW
Each one references a major Shakespeare play.
THE BARD
The spangram links all the words of the puzzle by referring to Shakespeare himself. It goes through the grid like a signature, uniting the fragmented titles through their creator.
Start by scanning for longer, theme-relevant words that often anchor the layout.
Observe the letters or clumps of letters that have been repeatedly used and that are related to the themes common in literature or culture.
Use the theme clue to narrow down the direction of the search.
Let shared letters between longer words guide the placement of shorter entries.
The December 12 NYT Strands puzzle creates a lively tour through Shakespeare’s world using familiar title fragments and a neat central spangram. It is a solution that is light and engaging, enhances recognition of patterns, keeps the brain active, and at the same time, it is a tribute to storytelling that never loses its appeal.
