#445Thursday, May 22, 2025
Strands answers for May 22, 2025 — “Keeping an eye on things” (#445)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for May 22, 2025 (puzzle #445) is TAKECARE, a 8-letter answer to the theme "Keeping an eye on things". The 5 theme words are CUSTODIAN, GUARDIAN, PROTECTOR, STEWARD and TRUSTEE.
Where is each answer on the May 22 Strands board?
Here are all 5 theme words from the May 22, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CUSTODIAN | 9 | row 7, column 1 | row 4, column 2 | bottom to top |
| GUARDIAN | 8 | row 6, column 4 | row 7, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| PROTECTOR | 9 | row 2, column 4 | row 2, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| STEWARD | 7 | row 3, column 2 | row 3, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| TRUSTEE | 7 | row 4, column 6 | row 7, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| TAKECARE | 8 | row 1, column 2 | row 8, column 1 | top to bottom |
What did the May 22 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 6 words tile all 48 cells of the May 22, 2025 grid.
Spangram — 8 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 A-T-R-O-T-E, row 2 reads W-R-A-P-C-R, row 3 reads E-S-D-K-T-O, row 4 reads T-N-O-T-E-T, row 5 reads A-D-S-C-U-R, row 6 reads I-U-A-G-S-T, row 7 reads C-R-U-E-E-N, and row 8 reads E-A-R-D-I-A.
How hard was the May 22 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #445 comes out easy, ahead of 15% 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 May 22 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #445 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 May 22 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on May 22, 2025?
The Strands clue for May 22, 2025 is “Keeping an eye on things”, on puzzle #445. It is answered by the spangram TAKECARE, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on May 22, 2025?
The 5 Strands theme words for May 22, 2025 are CUSTODIAN, GUARDIAN, PROTECTOR, STEWARD and TRUSTEE, plus the spangram TAKECARE.
What was the big word in the May 22, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for May 22, 2025 is TAKECARE, 8 letters long, running from row 1, column 2 to row 8, 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 “Keeping an eye on things” mean?
The Strands theme “Keeping an eye on things” for May 22, 2025 means TAKECARE — 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 22, 2025?
Strands puzzle #445 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the May 22, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #445 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 15% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on May 22, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, May 22, 2025 is #445, 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.