#442Monday, May 19, 2025
Strands answers for May 19, 2025 — “Taking the bait” (#442)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for May 19, 2025 (puzzle #442) is SOMETHINGSFISHY, a 15-letter answer to the theme "Taking the bait". The 5 theme words are HALIBUT, MACKEREL, SALMON, SNAPPER and TROUT.
Where is each answer on the May 19 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #442 is 5 theme words and one spangram.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HALIBUT | 7 | row 4, column 1 | row 8, column 1 | top to bottom |
| MACKEREL | 8 | row 5, column 4 | row 8, column 5 | top to bottom |
| SALMON | 6 | row 7, column 5 | row 5, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| SNAPPER | 7 | row 2, column 5 | row 4, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| TROUT | 5 | row 1, column 1 | row 3, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| SOMETHINGSFISHY | 15 | row 5, column 5 | row 8, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the May 19 Strands grid look like?
The grid below is six letters wide and eight rows deep, with every answer traced through the letters it uses.
Spangram — 15 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-N-I-H-T-N, row 2 reads U-R-G-E-S-A, row 3 reads T-O-S-M-P-P, row 4 reads H-A-F-O-E-R, row 5 reads L-I-A-M-S-N, row 6 reads I-S-C-K-O-M, row 7 reads B-H-R-E-S-L, and row 8 reads T-U-Y-E-L-A.
How hard was the May 19 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #442 as hard: it sits at the 92th percentile of every Strands grid to date.
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 May 19 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #442 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 May 19 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on May 19, 2025?
The Strands clue for May 19, 2025 is “Taking the bait”, on puzzle #442. It is answered by the spangram SOMETHINGSFISHY, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on May 19, 2025?
The 5 Strands theme words for May 19, 2025 are HALIBUT, MACKEREL, SALMON, SNAPPER and TROUT, plus the spangram SOMETHINGSFISHY.
What was the big word in the May 19, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for May 19, 2025 is SOMETHINGSFISHY, 15 letters long, running from row 5, column 5 to row 8, 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 “Taking the bait” mean?
The Strands theme “Taking the bait” for May 19, 2025 means SOMETHINGSFISHY — 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 May 19, 2025?
Strands puzzle #442 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the May 19, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #442 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 92% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on May 19, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Monday, May 19, 2025 is #442, 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 May 2025, part of the full Strands archive.