#532Sunday, August 17, 2025
Strands answers for August 17, 2025 — “Think again!” (#532)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for August 17, 2025 (puzzle #532) is RIGHTBRAIN, a 10-letter answer to the theme "Think again!". The 4 theme words are CREATIVITY, FEELINGS, INTUITION and SPONTANEITY.
Where is each answer on the August 17 Strands board?
Strands #532 resolves to these 4 theme words plus the spangram RIGHTBRAIN.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CREATIVITY | 10 | row 5, column 3 | row 5, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| FEELINGS | 8 | row 6, column 4 | row 3, column 5 | bottom to top |
| INTUITION | 9 | row 1, column 1 | row 1, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| SPONTANEITY | 11 | row 8, column 3 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| RIGHTBRAIN | 10 | row 8, column 4 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the August 17 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #532 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 10 letters4 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 I-T-N-T-I-N, row 2 reads N-U-O-A-V-I, row 3 reads I-I-E-I-S-A, row 4 reads N-T-R-T-G-R, row 5 reads A-E-C-Y-N-B, row 6 reads T-Y-I-F-I-T, row 7 reads N-T-E-E-L-H, and row 8 reads O-P-S-R-I-G.
How hard was the August 17 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #532 as above average: it sits at the 72th percentile of every Strands grid to date.
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 August 17 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #532 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Sam Corbin. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the August 17 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on August 17, 2025?
The Strands clue for August 17, 2025 is “Think again!”, on puzzle #532. It is answered by the spangram RIGHTBRAIN, and all 4 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on August 17, 2025?
The 4 Strands theme words for August 17, 2025 are CREATIVITY, FEELINGS, INTUITION and SPONTANEITY, plus the spangram RIGHTBRAIN.
What was the big word in the August 17, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for August 17, 2025 is RIGHTBRAIN, 10 letters long, running from row 8, column 4 to row 1, 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 “Think again!” mean?
The Strands theme “Think again!” for August 17, 2025 means RIGHTBRAIN — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 4 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands August 17, 2025?
Strands puzzle #532 has 4 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the August 17, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #532 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 72% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on August 17, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, August 17, 2025 is #532, 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 August 2025, part of the full Strands archive.