If you’ve been stuck on the New York Times Strands puzzle for May 10, 2025, don’t stress too much — I’ve got your back with some clues and answers. This puzzle’s theme is about “missing links,” and honestly, it’s kind of fun once you catch on. The hint is a little cheeky: it’s something tasty you’d probably keep away from your dog. So yeah, think food, but something special.
If you want some quick clues while playing, try words like SALE, SLAM, or DEAL. These will help nudge the puzzle in the right direction. Just type in any four-letter or longer words you think might fit, and it usually unlocks more clues or theme words.
What’s the Theme and Answers?
Today’s puzzle is all about sausages — and not just any sausages, but different types from around the world. The phrase “missing links” is a pun, which makes it a bit tricky but cool once you get it. Here are the sausage names you’ll find in the puzzle:
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SALAMI
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CHORIZO
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KIELBASA
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ANDOUILLE
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LIVERWURST
And the big spangram (the word that uses all the letters) is SAUSAGES itself. To find it, start at the letter S in the top row, fourth column, then follow the path down and across.
Other Puzzle Updates You Might Like
If you’re also into the NYT Mini Crossword, Wordle, or Connections puzzles, there’s more help out there too. For example, there’s a special Sports Edition of Connections that some people are really enjoying. For those, I usually check CNET’s puzzle hints page, which has all the tips and tricks you might need.
Some Past Challenging Strands Puzzles
By the way, if you’ve been following these puzzles for a while, you might remember some tough ones from earlier this year. Like the “Dated slang” puzzle on Jan. 21, where the hardest word was PHAT, or the “Thar she blows!” puzzle from Jan. 15, which had tricky words like BALEEN and RIGHT. Then there was “Off the hook” on Jan. 9 with words like BIGEYE and SKIPJACK. Those were definitely not easy and needed some serious knowledge about old slang and ocean stuff.
If you struggled with any of those, don’t worry — puzzles are supposed to make you think and sometimes frustrate you a bit before the “aha!” moment. Keep at it!
