#408Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Strands answers for April 15, 2025 — “Draft picks” (#408)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for April 15, 2025 (puzzle #408) is MICROBREWERY, a 12-letter answer to the theme "Draft picks". The 7 theme words are BOCK, LAGER, NITRO, PILSNER, PORTER, SOUR and STOUT.
Where is each answer on the April 15 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #408 is 7 theme words and one spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 8 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOCK | 4 | row 5, column 6 | row 6, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| LAGER | 5 | row 5, column 4 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| NITRO | 5 | row 7, column 5 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| PILSNER | 7 | row 2, column 2 | row 3, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| PORTER | 6 | row 2, column 5 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| SOUR | 4 | row 8, column 1 | row 7, column 4 | left to right |
| STOUT | 5 | row 1, column 4 | row 1, column 1 | right to left |
| MICROBREWERY | 12 | row 6, column 1 | row 4, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the April 15 Strands grid look like?
The grid below is six letters wide and eight rows deep, with every answer traced through the letters it uses.
Spangram — 12 letters7 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads T-O-T-S-E-R, row 2 reads U-P-R-E-P-T, row 3 reads R-I-B-W-O-R, row 4 reads E-L-O-E-R-Y, row 5 reads N-S-R-L-O-B, row 6 reads M-I-C-A-C-K, row 7 reads R-E-G-R-N-R, and row 8 reads S-O-U-I-T-O.
How hard was the April 15 Strands puzzle?
Strands #408 scores easy on our difficulty index, harder than 9% of every Strands puzzle published so far.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the April 15 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #408 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Christina Iverson. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the April 15 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on April 15, 2025?
The Strands clue for April 15, 2025 is “Draft picks”, on puzzle #408. It is answered by the spangram MICROBREWERY, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on April 15, 2025?
The 7 Strands theme words for April 15, 2025 are BOCK, LAGER, NITRO, PILSNER, PORTER, SOUR and STOUT, plus the spangram MICROBREWERY.
What was the big word in the April 15, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for April 15, 2025 is MICROBREWERY, 12 letters long, running from row 6, column 1 to row 4, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Draft picks” mean?
The Strands theme “Draft picks” for April 15, 2025 means MICROBREWERY — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 7 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands April 15, 2025?
Strands puzzle #408 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the April 15, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #408 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 9% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on April 15, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 is #408, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in April 2025, part of the full Strands archive.