#291Thursday, December 19, 2024
Strands answers for December 19, 2024 — “Roll with it” (#291)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for December 19, 2024 (puzzle #291) is ROCKING, a 7-letter answer to the theme "Roll with it". The 6 theme words are ALTERNATIVE, GLAM, GRUNGE, METAL, PROGRESSIVE and PUNK.
Where is each answer on the December 19 Strands board?
Strands #291 resolves to these 6 theme words plus the spangram ROCKING.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALTERNATIVE | 11 | row 6, column 1 | row 7, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| GLAM | 4 | row 2, column 5 | row 4, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| GRUNGE | 6 | row 8, column 5 | row 5, column 6 | bottom to top |
| METAL | 5 | row 1, column 4 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| PROGRESSIVE | 11 | row 1, column 1 | row 3, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| PUNK | 4 | row 8, column 2 | row 7, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| ROCKING | 7 | row 3, column 5 | row 5, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the December 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 — 7 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 P-R-R-M-E-T, row 2 reads O-G-E-L-G-A, row 3 reads E-I-S-A-R-L, row 4 reads V-N-S-K-M-O, row 5 reads G-L-I-E-C-E, row 6 reads A-T-T-N-R-G, row 7 reads I-E-A-K-R-N, and row 8 reads V-P-U-N-G-U.
How hard was the December 19 Strands puzzle?
Strands #291 scores average on our difficulty index, harder than 40% 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 19 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #291 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 19 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on December 19, 2024?
The Strands clue for December 19, 2024 is “Roll with it”, on puzzle #291. It is answered by the spangram ROCKING, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on December 19, 2024?
The 6 Strands theme words for December 19, 2024 are ALTERNATIVE, GLAM, GRUNGE, METAL, PROGRESSIVE and PUNK, plus the spangram ROCKING.
What was the big word in the December 19, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for December 19, 2024 is ROCKING, 7 letters long, running from row 3, column 5 to row 5, 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 “Roll with it” mean?
The Strands theme “Roll with it” for December 19, 2024 means ROCKING — 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 December 19, 2024?
Strands puzzle #291 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the December 19, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #291 rates average on a computed index, harder than 40% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on December 19, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, December 19, 2024 is #291, 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 2024, part of the full Strands archive.