#604Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Strands answers for October 28, 2025 — “The write stuff” (#604)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for October 28, 2025 (puzzle #604) is PENCILMEIN, a 10-letter answer to the theme "The write stuff". The 5 theme words are CEDARWOOD, ERASER, GRAPHITE, REFILL and SHARPENER.
Where is each answer on the October 28 Strands board?
Strands #604 resolves to these 5 theme words plus the spangram PENCILMEIN.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEDARWOOD | 9 | row 4, column 3 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| ERASER | 6 | row 7, column 3 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| GRAPHITE | 8 | row 2, column 3 | row 3, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| REFILL | 6 | row 8, column 5 | row 7, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| SHARPENER | 9 | row 1, column 6 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| PENCILMEIN | 10 | row 1, column 3 | row 8, column 4 | top to bottom |
What did the October 28 Strands grid look like?
The grid below is six letters wide and eight rows deep, with every answer traced through the letters it uses.
Spangram — 10 letters5 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 A-R-P-E-N-S, row 2 reads P-T-G-C-H-A, row 3 reads H-I-E-I-R-R, row 4 reads D-E-C-L-E-P, row 5 reads A-R-W-M-N-E, row 6 reads D-O-O-E-L-I, row 7 reads R-S-E-I-L-F, and row 8 reads E-A-R-N-R-E.
How hard was the October 28 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #604 as hard: it sits at the 80th percentile of every Strands grid to date.
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 October 28 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #604 was edited by Tracy Bennett, who also constructed it. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the October 28 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on October 28, 2025?
The Strands clue for October 28, 2025 is “The write stuff”, on puzzle #604. It is answered by the spangram PENCILMEIN, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on October 28, 2025?
The 5 Strands theme words for October 28, 2025 are CEDARWOOD, ERASER, GRAPHITE, REFILL and SHARPENER, plus the spangram PENCILMEIN.
What was the big word in the October 28, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for October 28, 2025 is PENCILMEIN, 10 letters long, running from row 1, column 3 to row 8, column 4. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “The write stuff” mean?
The Strands theme “The write stuff” for October 28, 2025 means PENCILMEIN — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 5 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands October 28, 2025?
Strands puzzle #604 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the October 28, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #604 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 80% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on October 28, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 is #604, 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 October 2025, part of the full Strands archive.