#331Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Strands answers for January 28, 2025 — “Stable supply” (#331)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for January 28, 2025 (puzzle #331) is HORSEBACKRIDING, a 15-letter answer to the theme "Stable supply". The 6 theme words are BRIDLE, CROP, HARNESS, REINS, SADDLE and SPURS.
Where is each answer on the January 28 Strands board?
The 6 theme words for Strands on January 28, 2025 are listed below, followed by the spangram.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRIDLE | 6 | row 3, column 6 | row 1, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| CROP | 4 | row 7, column 3 | row 8, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| HARNESS | 7 | row 5, column 3 | row 8, column 2 | top to bottom |
| REINS | 5 | row 4, column 1 | row 3, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| SADDLE | 6 | row 7, column 4 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| SPURS | 5 | row 5, column 6 | row 6, column 3 | right to left |
| HORSEBACKRIDING | 15 | row 4, column 6 | row 4, column 3 | right to left |
What did the January 28 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for January 28, 2025 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 15 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 B-E-S-E-L-D, row 2 reads A-R-I-R-I-R, row 3 reads C-K-S-D-O-B, row 4 reads R-N-G-N-I-H, row 5 reads E-I-H-R-U-S, row 6 reads N-A-S-D-D-P, row 7 reads E-R-C-S-A-L, and row 8 reads S-S-R-O-P-E.
How hard was the January 28 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the January 28, 2025 puzzle lands in the above average range — above 69% of all Strands puzzles.
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 28 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #331 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 28 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on January 28, 2025?
The Strands clue for January 28, 2025 is “Stable supply”, on puzzle #331. It is answered by the spangram HORSEBACKRIDING, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on January 28, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for January 28, 2025 are BRIDLE, CROP, HARNESS, REINS, SADDLE and SPURS, plus the spangram HORSEBACKRIDING.
What was the big word in the January 28, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for January 28, 2025 is HORSEBACKRIDING, 15 letters long, running from row 4, column 6 to row 4, 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 “Stable supply” mean?
The Strands theme “Stable supply” for January 28, 2025 means HORSEBACKRIDING — 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 January 28, 2025?
Strands puzzle #331 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the January 28, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #331 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 69% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on January 28, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, January 28, 2025 is #331, 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.