#472Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Strands answers for June 18, 2025 — “Down time” (#472)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for June 18, 2025 (puzzle #472) is SADNESS, a 7-letter answer to the theme "Down time". The 6 theme words are BLUE, DOLEFUL, GLOOMY, MELANCHOLY, TEARY and WOEBEGONE.
Where is each answer on the June 18 Strands board?
The 6 theme words for Strands on June 18, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE | 4 | row 3, column 2 | row 4, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| DOLEFUL | 7 | row 8, column 2 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| GLOOMY | 6 | row 7, column 3 | row 8, column 6 | left to right |
| MELANCHOLY | 10 | row 4, column 6 | row 2, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| TEARY | 5 | row 6, column 6 | row 5, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| WOEBEGONE | 9 | row 2, column 2 | row 2, column 5 | left to right |
| SADNESS | 7 | row 5, column 1 | row 6, column 5 | left to right |
What did the June 18 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for June 18, 2025 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
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 L-O-H-C-N-A, row 2 reads Y-W-O-N-E-L, row 3 reads L-B-E-E-O-E, row 4 reads U-E-B-G-E-M, row 5 reads S-A-D-N-Y-S, row 6 reads F-E-L-R-S-T, row 7 reads U-O-G-A-E-M, and row 8 reads L-D-L-O-O-Y.
How hard was the June 18 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #472 comes out average, ahead of 31% 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 June 18 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #472 was edited by Tracy Bennett, who also constructed it. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the June 18 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on June 18, 2025?
The Strands clue for June 18, 2025 is “Down time”, on puzzle #472. It is answered by the spangram SADNESS, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on June 18, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for June 18, 2025 are BLUE, DOLEFUL, GLOOMY, MELANCHOLY, TEARY and WOEBEGONE, plus the spangram SADNESS.
What was the big word in the June 18, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for June 18, 2025 is SADNESS, 7 letters long, running from row 5, column 1 to row 6, column 5. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Down time” mean?
The Strands theme “Down time” for June 18, 2025 means SADNESS — 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 June 18, 2025?
Strands puzzle #472 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the June 18, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #472 rates average on a computed index, harder than 31% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on June 18, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 is #472, 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 June 2025, part of the full Strands archive.