Freelance writer Tim Mulkerin provides hints and solutions for the June 4th, 2025 Strands puzzle, themed "Monster quest." The spangram is CRYPTIDS, and theme words include MOTHMAN, JACKALOPE, YETI, KRAKEN, BIGFOOT, and CRAWLER. The article explains how to play Strands, a NYT word puzzle combining crossword and word search elements, where the goal is to find theme words and a spangram spanning the board. Players can earn hints by submitting non-theme words.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.