NYT Strands Hints and Answers for August 14, 2025 (#529)
Spoiler-safe hints for the NYT Strands puzzle of August 14, 2025: the theme clue first, then first letters, word lengths, the spangram, and the full grid.
Stuck on the Strands puzzle of August 14, 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 August 14, 2025, one rung at a time
ThemeToday’s theme
Honest-to-goodness
The puzzle calls today’s theme “Honest-to-goodness”. Read it loosely: the 6 answers are examples of it, not synonyms for it.
Hint 2First letters
Sorted alphabetically, the first letters are A, G, K, L, R, T.
Hint 3Word lengths
The theme words are 4, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 10 letters long. The shortest is 4 letters, the longest 10.
SpangramThe spangram
BONAFIDE
It is a single word of 8 letters and it touches two opposite sides of the board.
Starts with B, ends with E.
AnswersAll theme words
- REAL4 letters
- TRUE4 letters
- KOSHER6 letters
- GENUINE7 letters
- AUTHENTIC9 letters
- LEGITIMATE10 letters
BoardThe completed grid
Theme wordSpangramEach line follows one word; the small number is that letter’s place in it.