Today's Strands Hints and Clues for "On the chopping block" - Friday, December 19, 2025

Strands Hints and Answers (December 19, 2025): Stuck on today's Strands? We've got today's Strands hints and answers to guide you through it!

Strands is a daily game on New York Times, with a new grid of letters and themes for players to rack their brains. Although the game provides the puzzle's theme and some hints, it can get difficult to find the answers.

If you are one of those struggling with today's NYT Strands, you have stumbled upon the right place. We'll help you solve today's spangram and find all the words.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Only read on if you want to know today's Strands answers.

Today's Strands Theme

Before we show the hints and the answers, let's check the given theme for today.

Today's theme is: ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK

The theme may not be obvious at first, so here’s a quick breakdown to point you in the right direction.

• Today's theme revolves around specific methods used to prepare food by cutting it into various shapes and sizes. Each technique serves a unique purpose in cooking, enhancing the dish's texture and presentation. These methods are essential skills for any chef or home cook looking to elevate their culinary creations.

Today's NYT Strands Hints

Still confused about the words? Here are some hints to help you:

Strands Hint 1: What are the starting letters of today's words?

There are 7 words including the spangram.

Below are the starting letters & lengths for each of the theme words:

• Starts with "C" and has 10 letters.
• Starts with "C" and has 4 letters.
• Starts with "D" and has 4 letters.
• Starts with "J" and has 8 letters.
• Starts with "M" and has 5 letters.
• Starts with "S" and has 5 letters.

And today's spangram starts with "M".

Strands Hint 2: Where are today's words located on today's strands grid?

Here are some clues about their starting positions. For all words except the spangram:

• 2 words start from the top row
• 1 word starts from the left edge of the grid
• 1 word starts from the right edge of the grid
• 3 words start from the middle of the grid

Today's NYT Strands Clue Words

One great feature of Strands is the in-game hints. If you’d like to use them, look for these words on the board:

• LENTIC
• ENACT
• ACKEE
• DIACTINE
• CTENE
• FACETED

Right below, you’ll find today's Strands answers. Pause here if you’re not ready to see them.

Today's NYT Strands Spangram

First, let's reveal today's Strands spangram:

MAKINGTHECUT

Today's NYT Strands Answers

If the spangram didn't help you get the answers, then you can find today's answers below:

• CHIFFONADE
• CUBE
• DICE
• JULIENNE
• MINCE
• SLICE

Yesterday's NYT Strands Answer (18 December 2025)

Are you still tackling yesterday’s Strands (Thursday, 18 December 2025)? Or reading this from another timezone? Don’t fret—we have the answers you need!

Find yesterday's Strands answers, hints and spangram here.

Yesterday's Strands theme was:

NATURAL REMEDIES

Yesterday's Spangram was:

IMMUNEBOOSTERS

Yesterday's Strands Answers were:

• ELDERBERRY
• GARLIC
• HONEY
• LEMON
• TURMERIC

And that wraps up today's Strands answers, hints and spangram. If you love playing word games, we have answers and solvers to most of NYT's games. Check out:

• Spelling Bee Solver
• Wordle Solver
• Connections Helper
• NYT Mini Crossword Answers

Edited by Suryadeepto Sengupta