#534Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Strands answers for August 19, 2025 — “Dash it!” (#534)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for August 19, 2025 (puzzle #534) is HYPHENATED, a 10-letter answer to the theme "Dash it!". The 4 theme words are HOCUSPOCUS, HOITYTOITY, PELLMELL and WILLYNILLY.
Where is each answer on the August 19 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #534 is 4 theme words and one spangram.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOCUSPOCUS | 10 | row 3, column 6 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| HOITYTOITY | 10 | row 8, column 4 | row 7, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| PELLMELL | 8 | row 6, column 5 | row 7, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| WILLYNILLY | 10 | row 4, column 4 | row 1, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| HYPHENATED | 10 | row 5, column 1 | row 5, column 6 | left to right |
What did the August 19 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 — 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-Y-P-O-C-S, row 2 reads N-L-L-S-U-U, row 3 reads Y-L-I-C-O-H, row 4 reads L-P-H-W-T-E, row 5 reads H-Y-E-N-A-D, row 6 reads T-O-I-E-P-L, row 7 reads Y-Y-T-L-L-E, and row 8 reads T-I-O-H-L-M.
How hard was the August 19 Strands puzzle?
On this index, the August 19, 2025 puzzle sits at the top of the whole archive: nothing published scores harder.
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 19 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #534 was edited by Tracy Bennett, who also constructed it. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the August 19 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on August 19, 2025?
The Strands clue for August 19, 2025 is “Dash it!”, on puzzle #534. It is answered by the spangram HYPHENATED, and all 4 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on August 19, 2025?
The 4 Strands theme words for August 19, 2025 are HOCUSPOCUS, HOITYTOITY, PELLMELL and WILLYNILLY, plus the spangram HYPHENATED.
What was the big word in the August 19, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for August 19, 2025 is HYPHENATED, 10 letters long, running from row 5, column 1 to row 5, 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 “Dash it!” mean?
The Strands theme “Dash it!” for August 19, 2025 means HYPHENATED — 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 19, 2025?
Strands puzzle #534 has 4 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the August 19, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #534 is the hardest puzzle on the computed difficulty index — no Strands grid published since March 2024 rates above it.
What number was the Strands puzzle on August 19, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 is #534, 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.