Strands Puzzle Answers for March 12, 2025: "Bearing Gifts" Theme and Spangram PRODIGY

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Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is tricky. The theme, "bearing gifts," had me thinking of Christmas and the Three Wise Men, but that’s not where this puzzle is heading. If you need a hand, I’ve got some hints and answers for you below.

You can find more detailed rules for Strands in this article.

If you're after today's Wordle, Connections, or Mini Crossword answers, head over to CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Hint for today's Strands puzzle

Today's Strands theme: Bearing gifts

If that doesn't give you a clue, here’s another hint: Mad skills.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints:

The goal of the game is to find words fitting the theme. If you're stuck, find any words. When you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal a theme word. Here are some words I used to unlock hints, but any valid four-letter or more word will work:

• LORE, SING, SINE, PILL, PILLS, FILL, FILLS, CHOP, LAIR, LAIRS, STAR, RATS, TAIL, PROD, LOAN, LENT, RATE, FARE, DING, GINS, WOES.

Answers for today's Strands puzzle:

The goal is to find all hidden words related to the theme. The puzzle includes a spangram—a theme word that spans from one side to the other. Once you find all the words (usually eight, but sometimes more), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the non-spangram answers:

• CHOPS, FLAIR, KNACK, SKILL, TALENT, PROWESS, STRENGTH

Today's Strands spangram:

The completed NYT Strands puzzle for March 12, 2025, #374, features PRODIGY as the spangram. Start with the "P" in the fifth row on the far left and work your way up and over to find it.