#315Sunday, January 12, 2025
Strands answers for January 12, 2025 — “Wait what?” (#315)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for January 12, 2025 (puzzle #315) is MINDBLOWN, a 9-letter answer to the theme "Wait what?". The 5 theme words are ASTONISH, FLABBERGAST, GOBSMACK, STUN and SURPRISE.
Where is each answer on the January 12 Strands board?
Here are all 5 theme words from the January 12, 2025 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASTONISH | 8 | row 2, column 6 | row 4, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| FLABBERGAST | 11 | row 5, column 3 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| GOBSMACK | 8 | row 5, column 5 | row 7, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| STUN | 4 | row 6, column 6 | row 4, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| SURPRISE | 8 | row 8, column 1 | row 7, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| MINDBLOWN | 9 | row 1, column 4 | row 7, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the January 12 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 6 words tile all 48 cells of the January 12, 2025 grid.
Spangram — 9 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 T-S-A-M-T-S, row 2 reads B-G-I-O-N-A, row 3 reads B-E-R-N-S-I, row 4 reads A-L-D-H-N-U, row 5 reads R-I-F-B-G-T, row 6 reads P-S-L-O-B-S, row 7 reads R-N-E-O-S-K, and row 8 reads S-U-W-M-A-C.
How hard was the January 12 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #315 comes out hard, ahead of 95% of them.
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 January 12 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #315 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 January 12 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on January 12, 2025?
The Strands clue for January 12, 2025 is “Wait what?”, on puzzle #315. It is answered by the spangram MINDBLOWN, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on January 12, 2025?
The 5 Strands theme words for January 12, 2025 are ASTONISH, FLABBERGAST, GOBSMACK, STUN and SURPRISE, plus the spangram MINDBLOWN.
What was the big word in the January 12, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for January 12, 2025 is MINDBLOWN, 9 letters long, running from row 1, column 4 to row 7, column 2. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Wait what?” mean?
The Strands theme “Wait what?” for January 12, 2025 means MINDBLOWN — 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 January 12, 2025?
Strands puzzle #315 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the January 12, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #315 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 95% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on January 12, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, January 12, 2025 is #315, 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 January 2025, part of the full Strands archive.