NYT Strands Hints and Answers for June 26, 2025 (#480)
Spoiler-safe hints for the NYT Strands puzzle of June 26, 2025: the theme clue first, then first letters, word lengths, the spangram, and the full grid.
Stuck on the Strands puzzle of June 26, 2025? Start with the theme, take one rung at a time, and stop as soon as the grid opens up. Nothing below is revealed until you tap it.
Hints for June 26, 2025, one rung at a time
ThemeToday’s theme
Fowl business
Start from the clue “Fowl business”. Once you see what the 6 theme words have in common, the grid opens up quickly.
Hint 2First letters
Sorted alphabetically, the first letters are G, G, P, P, Q, T. Several share a starting letter (G, P).
Hint 3Word lengths
The theme words are 5, 5, 6, 6, 8 and 9 letters long. The shortest is 5 letters, the longest 9.
SpangramThe spangram
GAMEBIRDS
It is a single word of 9 letters and it touches two opposite sides of the board.
Starts with G, ends with S.
AnswersAll theme words
- GOOSE5 letters
- QUAIL5 letters
- GROUSE6 letters
- TURKEY6 letters
- PHEASANT8 letters
- PARTRIDGE9 letters
BoardThe completed grid
Theme wordSpangramEach line follows one word; the small number is that letter’s place in it.