#660Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Strands answers for December 23, 2025 — “Br-r-r-r-r!” (#660)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for December 23, 2025 (puzzle #660) is NOTSOHOT, a 8-letter answer to the theme "Br-r-r-r-r!". The 7 theme words are CHILLY, COLD, COOL, FREEZING, FRIGID, GLACIAL and POLAR.
Where is each answer on the December 23 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #660 is 7 theme words and one spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHILLY | 6 | row 2, column 1 | row 3, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| COLD | 4 | row 5, column 2 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| COOL | 4 | row 7, column 6 | row 4, column 6 | bottom to top |
| FREEZING | 8 | row 3, column 6 | row 5, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| FRIGID | 6 | row 4, column 5 | row 8, column 5 | top to bottom |
| GLACIAL | 7 | row 6, column 3 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| POLAR | 5 | row 2, column 2 | row 4, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| NOTSOHOT | 8 | row 1, column 4 | row 8, column 4 | top to bottom |
What did the December 23 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #660 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 8 letters7 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 H-I-L-N-E-E, row 2 reads C-P-L-O-Z-R, row 3 reads L-O-Y-T-I-F, row 4 reads A-R-S-N-F-L, row 5 reads O-C-O-G-R-O, row 6 reads L-D-G-H-I-O, row 7 reads L-C-L-O-G-C, and row 8 reads A-I-A-T-D-I.
How hard was the December 23 Strands puzzle?
Strands #660 scores average on our difficulty index, harder than 43% 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 23 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #660 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 23 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on December 23, 2025?
The Strands clue for December 23, 2025 is “Br-r-r-r-r!”, on puzzle #660. It is answered by the spangram NOTSOHOT, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on December 23, 2025?
The 7 Strands theme words for December 23, 2025 are CHILLY, COLD, COOL, FREEZING, FRIGID, GLACIAL and POLAR, plus the spangram NOTSOHOT.
What was the big word in the December 23, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for December 23, 2025 is NOTSOHOT, 8 letters long, running from row 1, column 4 to row 8, column 4. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Br-r-r-r-r!” mean?
The Strands theme “Br-r-r-r-r!” for December 23, 2025 means NOTSOHOT — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 7 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands December 23, 2025?
Strands puzzle #660 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the December 23, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #660 rates average on a computed index, harder than 43% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on December 23, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, December 23, 2025 is #660, 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.