It's time for the New York Times Games to challenge fans' brains with the most difficult word search puzzle out there: a game called Strands.

In today's puzzle, there are six theme words to find (including the spangram). Hint: The first one can be found in the top-half of the board. Here are the first two letters for each word: Today's spangram answer on Friday, January 17, 2025, is GENERATIONGAP.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns.