Strands Theme Explorer
Study how NYT Strands themes are trending across the archive. This page groups puzzles by category, difficulty, and clue style so you can spot patterns in the way Strands is built.
Browse themes
Search every Strands theme by clue, answer words, or spangram. Filter by category or difficulty when you want to study one slice of the archive.
Theme category frequency
Category List
763 puzzles
Food & Drink
25 puzzles
Science & Nature
13 puzzles
Pop Culture
10 puzzles
Wordplay
7 puzzles
Sports
6 puzzles
Language
5 puzzles
Theme categories and difficulty bands are classified automatically from each puzzle's clue, spangram, and theme words. They are pattern-finding aids, not official NYT editorial labels.
For active play, open today's Strands hints, use the spangram helper, or compare dates in the Strands archive.
More Strands routes
Switch between today's hints, the archive, and the spangram helper while you study theme patterns.