Work through the levels. Reveal the Spangram only when you’re truly ready.
Today’s clue: “The growing season”
A gentle direction — no specifics.
Closer — the category is coming into focus.
Near-direct — only read if you’re stuck.
Direction only.
Getting closer.
Near-direct.
6 theme words — lengths in random order
Spaces not counted in total
All theme words — shuffled
These words fit the theme on the surface, but aren’t part of today’s solution. Knowing them ahead of time can save you minutes of searching.
The most obvious synonym for the theme, but it’s not included in the puzzle set.
Strongly suggests flourishing and success, yet it’s absent from the answer list.
Implies the process of becoming fully grown, but it isn’t one of the chosen words.
A common term for early plant growth, fitting the season, but it doesn't appear.
a textbook decoy
The straightforward clue 'The growing season' points unmistakably toward summer, making the spangram SUMMERTIME a quick find that collapses the theme word list. Once SUMMERTIME is placed, the remaining words all describe growth and vitality, converging around a tightly knit synonym group. Most are common, but BURGEON stands out as the trickiest; its literary flavor can stall solvers until a few surrounding letters are resolved. The spangram's size and the clue make the puzzle feel almost too easy unless you overlook the seasonal hint. Overall, the challenge is more about mental flexibility with synonyms than about obscure vocabulary.
The clue 'The growing season' is a classic and direct pointer to summer, the period when flora and fauna thrive. The spangram SUMMERTIME captures that literally, while the theme words—BLOOM, BURGEON, EXPAND, FLOURISH, SPREAD, THRIVE—are all verbs that mirror the vital energy of the season. It’s a tidy package where the clue leads you to the spangram and the spangram sets the tone for the word list.
The puzzle deliberately avoids the most obvious growth words like GROW and MATURE, instead selecting a range of evocative synonyms—BLOOM, BURGEON, EXPAND, FLOURISH, SPREAD, THRIVE. This choice forces solvers to consider a wider vocabulary, and the inclusion of the less common BURGEON acts as a subtle speed bump. The spangram SUMMERTIME neatly frames the collection as the actions that define the season, creating a cohesive theme lifted by the contrast between literal and figurative growth.
