#536Thursday, August 21, 2025
Strands answers for August 21, 2025 — “Marvel-ous and then some” (#536)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for August 21, 2025 (puzzle #536) is SUPERHEROES, a 11-letter answer to the theme "Marvel-ous and then some". The 6 theme words are DAREDEVIL, HULK, ROGUE, STORM, THING and WOLVERINE.
Where is each answer on the August 21 Strands board?
Strands #536 resolves to these 6 theme words plus the spangram SUPERHEROES.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAREDEVIL | 9 | row 8, column 5 | row 4, column 4 | bottom to top |
| HULK | 4 | row 8, column 1 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| ROGUE | 5 | row 4, column 2 | row 7, column 1 | top to bottom |
| STORM | 5 | row 4, column 1 | row 1, column 1 | bottom to top |
| THING | 5 | row 5, column 3 | row 6, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| WOLVERINE | 9 | row 3, column 3 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| SUPERHEROES | 11 | row 2, column 5 | row 8, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the August 21 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #536 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 11 letters6 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 M-R-P-U-N-E, row 2 reads O-E-O-L-S-I, row 3 reads T-R-W-V-E-R, row 4 reads S-R-H-L-I-V, row 5 reads O-G-T-E-D-E, row 6 reads U-K-G-H-R-E, row 7 reads E-L-N-I-O-R, and row 8 reads H-U-S-E-D-A.
How hard was the August 21 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #536 as above average: it sits at the 68th 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 21 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #536 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 August 21 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on August 21, 2025?
The Strands clue for August 21, 2025 is “Marvel-ous and then some”, on puzzle #536. It is answered by the spangram SUPERHEROES, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on August 21, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for August 21, 2025 are DAREDEVIL, HULK, ROGUE, STORM, THING and WOLVERINE, plus the spangram SUPERHEROES.
What was the big word in the August 21, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for August 21, 2025 is SUPERHEROES, 11 letters long, running from row 2, column 5 to row 8, column 3. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Marvel-ous and then some” mean?
The Strands theme “Marvel-ous and then some” for August 21, 2025 means SUPERHEROES — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands August 21, 2025?
Strands puzzle #536 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the August 21, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #536 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 68% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on August 21, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, August 21, 2025 is #536, 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.