NYT Strands Hints October 18: Today’s Puzzle Answers, Theme, and Spangram Explained

Looking for the NYT Strands hints and answers for October 18, 2025? You’re in the right place. Puzzle #594 of The New York Times’ daily word game left many players scratching their heads today with a tricky theme and some unexpected answers. Here’s a full breakdown of today’s Strands puzzle, including the hints, solved words, and the spangram you need to complete it.

The October 18 Strands puzzle is one of the tougher ones this month, and it’s already trending among word game fans. With the theme “Get to work…” and the clue “Sorry, boss!”, players had to think creatively to uncover the hidden words. Below, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to solve today’s puzzle and understand its theme.

Today’s NYT Strands Puzzle: Theme, Hints, and Answers

Strands is a daily word search-style puzzle from The New York Times that challenges players to find themed words hidden in a grid. Each puzzle has a spangram — a special word or phrase stretching from one side of the board to the other — plus several shorter theme words.

For October 18, 2025, the Strands theme is “Get to work…”, with the cheeky clue “Sorry, boss!”. The clue hints at reasons you might give for being late to work — and that’s exactly what today’s answers revolve around.

To unlock hints during gameplay, you can enter any valid four-letter or longer words. Words like SLOG, TALE, NOTE, CURT, CONS, LOAN, WING, DENT, LOSE, LORE, RUIN, THAN, RATS, STAR, STARE, TALES, and TEAL were among those used to trigger extra help in solving today’s grid.

Here are the non-spangram theme answers hidden in today’s puzzle:

• ALARM
• DETOUR
• CLOSURE
• WEATHER
• CONSTRUCTION

All of these words tie back to common excuses people give when they’re late — from sleeping through an ALARM to delays caused by WEATHER or CONSTRUCTION.

Today’s Spangram: RUNNINGLATE

The spangram for October 18 is RUNNINGLATE. This phrase perfectly encapsulates the puzzle’s theme and stretches across the board, starting with the “R” four rows down on the far-left side. Once you locate it, it helps connect the entire puzzle together.

Completing the puzzle requires you to find all the listed theme words plus the spangram. When done correctly, every letter in the grid will be used, and the board will be fully solved.

Why Today’s Strands Puzzle Was Tricky

Many Strands fans online are calling today’s puzzle one of the toughest this month due to its abstract clue and slightly unexpected word choices. “Sorry, boss!” led some players toward workplace jargon rather than excuses for lateness. Once the first word was uncovered, though, the rest of the puzzle became easier to solve.

This puzzle continues the trend of NYT Strands mixing straightforward themes with playful clues. It also highlights why many players love the game: each day’s challenge is unique, often requiring both word skills and lateral thinking.

Bottom line: The NYT Strands puzzle for October 18 (#594) revolves around excuses for being late to work, with RUNNINGLATE as the spangram and words like ALARM and WEATHER as the solutions. If you were stuck today, you’re not alone — but now you know exactly how the answers fit the theme.

FYI (keeping you in the loop)-

Q1: What is the theme of the NYT Strands puzzle for October 18?

The theme is “Get to work…” with the clue “Sorry, boss!”, referring to common excuses for being late.

Q2: What is today’s spangram in Strands?

The spangram is RUNNINGLATE. It spans the board and connects the theme words.

Q3: What are the theme words in today’s puzzle?

The answers are ALARM, DETOUR, CLOSURE, WEATHER, and CONSTRUCTION.

Q4: Why was today’s puzzle difficult?

The clue was vague, leading players to think about workplace terms instead of excuses, which made the theme harder to guess initially.

Q5: When does a new Strands puzzle release?

A new puzzle is released daily at midnight Eastern Time on The New York Times Games platform.