#655Thursday, December 18, 2025
Strands answers for December 18, 2025 — “Natural remedies” (#655)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for December 18, 2025 (puzzle #655) is IMMUNEBOOSTERS, a 14-letter answer to the theme "Natural remedies". The 5 theme words are ELDERBERRY, GARLIC, HONEY, LEMON and TURMERIC.
Where is each answer on the December 18 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #655 is 5 theme words and one spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELDERBERRY | 10 | row 1, column 2 | row 2, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| GARLIC | 6 | row 4, column 1 | row 5, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| HONEY | 5 | row 7, column 2 | row 7, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| LEMON | 5 | row 8, column 4 | row 7, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| TURMERIC | 8 | row 4, column 6 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| IMMUNEBOOSTERS | 14 | row 1, column 1 | row 8, column 1 | top to bottom |
What did the December 18 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #655 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 14 letters5 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-E-E-R-B-E, row 2 reads M-L-D-Y-R-R, row 3 reads M-U-N-E-I-C, row 4 reads G-A-R-B-R-T, row 5 reads C-I-L-O-E-U, row 6 reads E-T-S-O-M-R, row 7 reads R-H-E-Y-N-O, and row 8 reads S-O-N-L-E-M.
How hard was the December 18 Strands puzzle?
Strands #655 scores easy on our difficulty index, harder than 16% 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 December 18 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #655 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 December 18 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on December 18, 2025?
The Strands clue for December 18, 2025 is “Natural remedies”, on puzzle #655. It is answered by the spangram IMMUNEBOOSTERS, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on December 18, 2025?
The 5 Strands theme words for December 18, 2025 are ELDERBERRY, GARLIC, HONEY, LEMON and TURMERIC, plus the spangram IMMUNEBOOSTERS.
What was the big word in the December 18, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for December 18, 2025 is IMMUNEBOOSTERS, 14 letters long, running from row 1, column 1 to row 8, column 1. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Natural remedies” mean?
The Strands theme “Natural remedies” for December 18, 2025 means IMMUNEBOOSTERS — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 5 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands December 18, 2025?
Strands puzzle #655 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the December 18, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #655 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 16% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on December 18, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, December 18, 2025 is #655, 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 December 2025, part of the full Strands archive.