Master Today's NYT Strands Monster Quest Puzzle

If you’re tackling the latest New York Times Strands puzzle, you’re in for a monstrous challenge themed around legendary creatures. The June 4, 2025 edition, #458, invites players to embark on a “Monster quest,” hunting for cryptids hidden within the grid.

Strands puzzles require finding words that fit a theme, and this one is no exception. Your goal is to uncover all the theme words, including a special spangram that uses every letter on the board. The spangram for this puzzle is CRYPTIDS, a term for mysterious creatures like Bigfoot and the Kraken.

To unlock hints in the game, find any three words of four letters or more. This triggers the reveal of one of the theme words. Useful words to start with include MANY, MOCK, MOTH, TAKE, GATE, and DOOR. These help you gradually uncover the hidden monster names.

Key Monster Answers in the Puzzle

• MOTHMAN
• YETI
• KRAKEN
• BIGFOOT
• CRAWLER
• JACKALOPE

The number of theme words can vary, but the goal remains the same: find all of them to use every letter on the board. The spangram CRYPTIDS stretches across the puzzle, starting with the letter C near the top row and winding down.

If you’re new to Strands or want a refresher on the rules, detailed explanations are available that cover how to find words and trigger hints. Plus, if you enjoy other NYT puzzles like Wordle or Connections, daily hints and answers can be found on dedicated puzzle hint pages.

This puzzle is a great example of how word games can blend vocabulary, pattern recognition, and thematic knowledge into a fun, brain-teasing experience. Whether you’re a casual solver or a puzzle pro, the monster quest theme adds an engaging twist to the challenge.