Sun May 18 12:00:00 UTC 2025: **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**Need a Boost? NYT Strands Puzzle #440 Hints and Answers Revealed**

NEW YORK, NY – May 17, 2025 – Stuck on today’s New York Times Strands puzzle? The popular word game, which challenges players to find hidden words based on a specific theme, can sometimes leave even seasoned puzzle solvers scratching their heads.

Today’s theme, “She’s got game,” hints at the sport of **BASKETBALL**, which also serves as the puzzle’s spangram (the word that spans the entire board). If that hint isn’t enough, think **Caitlin Clark**.

For those needing extra assistance, here are a few tips to crack the code:

* **Word Variants:** Try adding an “S” or other variations to words you’ve already discovered.
* **Theme Association:** Once you find one theme word, scan the puzzle for other related terms.
* **Letter Reveal:** If you’ve uncovered some of the letters for a theme word but are still stumped, find three more clue words to have the game reveal the theme word letter by letter.

Remember, every word you find of four letters or more helps you get closer to unlocking the solution.

The New York Times Strands puzzle is updated daily, offering a fresh challenge for word enthusiasts. Solutions and hints are also available for the NYT Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

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