#546Sunday, August 31, 2025
Strands answers for August 31, 2025 — “Up the hill” (#546)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for August 31, 2025 (puzzle #546) is JACKANDJILL, a 11-letter answer to the theme "Up the hill". The 7 theme words are AFTER, BROKE, CROWN, FETCH, PAIL, TUMBLING and WATER.
Where is each answer on the August 31 Strands board?
The 7 theme words for Strands on August 31, 2025 are listed below, followed by the spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 8 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFTER | 5 | row 8, column 1 | row 7, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| BROKE | 5 | row 4, column 2 | row 5, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| CROWN | 5 | row 5, column 3 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| FETCH | 5 | row 5, column 6 | row 1, column 6 | bottom to top |
| PAIL | 4 | row 6, column 2 | row 7, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| TUMBLING | 8 | row 1, column 1 | row 6, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| WATER | 5 | row 1, column 3 | row 3, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| JACKANDJILL | 11 | row 7, column 6 | row 2, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the August 31 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for August 31, 2025 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 11 letters7 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads T-U-W-A-T-H, row 2 reads L-L-M-B-E-C, row 3 reads R-I-J-L-R-T, row 4 reads O-B-D-N-I-E, row 5 reads K-E-C-A-N-F, row 6 reads A-P-R-K-C-G, row 7 reads I-L-R-O-A-J, and row 8 reads A-F-T-E-W-N.
How hard was the August 31 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #546 comes out average, ahead of 35% of them.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the August 31 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #546 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Christina Iverson. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the August 31 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on August 31, 2025?
The Strands clue for August 31, 2025 is “Up the hill”, on puzzle #546. It is answered by the spangram JACKANDJILL, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on August 31, 2025?
The 7 Strands theme words for August 31, 2025 are AFTER, BROKE, CROWN, FETCH, PAIL, TUMBLING and WATER, plus the spangram JACKANDJILL.
What was the big word in the August 31, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for August 31, 2025 is JACKANDJILL, 11 letters long, running from row 7, column 6 to row 2, column 2. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Up the hill” mean?
The Strands theme “Up the hill” for August 31, 2025 means JACKANDJILL — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 7 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands August 31, 2025?
Strands puzzle #546 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the August 31, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #546 rates average on a computed index, harder than 35% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on August 31, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, August 31, 2025 is #546, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in August 2025, part of the full Strands archive.