#476Sunday, June 22, 2025
Strands answers for June 22, 2025 — “Fragrant abuse” (#476)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for June 22, 2025 (puzzle #476) is THATSTINKS, a 10-letter answer to the theme "Fragrant abuse". The 6 theme words are FOUL, MALODOROUS, PUNGENT, RANK, REEKING and SMELLY.
Where is each answer on the June 22 Strands board?
The 6 theme words for Strands on June 22, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOUL | 4 | row 4, column 2 | row 2, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| MALODOROUS | 10 | row 6, column 2 | row 7, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| PUNGENT | 7 | row 3, column 5 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| RANK | 4 | row 5, column 3 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| REEKING | 7 | row 1, column 2 | row 2, column 5 | left to right |
| SMELLY | 6 | row 5, column 5 | row 8, column 6 | top to bottom |
| THATSTINKS | 10 | row 8, column 5 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the June 22 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for June 22, 2025 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 10 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 S-R-E-E-K-I, row 2 reads L-K-I-U-G-N, row 3 reads U-N-T-N-P-T, row 4 reads O-F-S-G-E-N, row 5 reads N-A-R-T-S-M, row 6 reads K-M-A-A-L-E, row 7 reads O-U-S-L-H-L, and row 8 reads R-O-D-O-T-Y.
How hard was the June 22 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #476 comes out average, ahead of 37% 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 22 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #476 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 22 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on June 22, 2025?
The Strands clue for June 22, 2025 is “Fragrant abuse”, on puzzle #476. It is answered by the spangram THATSTINKS, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on June 22, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for June 22, 2025 are FOUL, MALODOROUS, PUNGENT, RANK, REEKING and SMELLY, plus the spangram THATSTINKS.
What was the big word in the June 22, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for June 22, 2025 is THATSTINKS, 10 letters long, running from row 8, column 5 to row 1, 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 “Fragrant abuse” mean?
The Strands theme “Fragrant abuse” for June 22, 2025 means THATSTINKS — 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 22, 2025?
Strands puzzle #476 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the June 22, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #476 rates average on a computed index, harder than 37% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on June 22, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, June 22, 2025 is #476, 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.