#563Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Strands answers for September 17, 2025 — “We beg to differ” (#563)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for September 17, 2025 (puzzle #563) is OPPOSITESATTRACT, a 16-letter answer to the theme "We beg to differ". The 6 theme words are BOLD, FLEXIBLE, NOISY, QUIET, RIGID and TIMID.
Where is each answer on the September 17 Strands board?
Strands #563 resolves to these 6 theme words plus the spangram OPPOSITESATTRACT.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOLD | 4 | row 5, column 1 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| FLEXIBLE | 8 | row 2, column 5 | row 4, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| NOISY | 5 | row 6, column 4 | row 7, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| QUIET | 5 | row 6, column 2 | row 8, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| RIGID | 5 | row 4, column 1 | row 1, column 2 | bottom to top |
| TIMID | 5 | row 6, column 6 | row 4, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| OPPOSITESATTRACT | 16 | row 8, column 6 | row 3, column 6 | bottom to top |
What did the September 17 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #563 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 16 letters6 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 I-D-T-T-R-A, row 2 reads G-A-E-L-F-C, row 3 reads I-S-X-I-B-T, row 4 reads R-O-E-D-L-E, row 5 reads B-L-T-I-M-I, row 6 reads D-Q-I-N-O-T, row 7 reads I-U-S-Y-S-I, and row 8 reads E-T-O-P-P-O.
How hard was the September 17 Strands puzzle?
Strands #563 scores average on our difficulty index, harder than 49% of every Strands puzzle published so far.
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 September 17 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #563 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 September 17 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on September 17, 2025?
The Strands clue for September 17, 2025 is “We beg to differ”, on puzzle #563. It is answered by the spangram OPPOSITESATTRACT, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on September 17, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for September 17, 2025 are BOLD, FLEXIBLE, NOISY, QUIET, RIGID and TIMID, plus the spangram OPPOSITESATTRACT.
What was the big word in the September 17, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for September 17, 2025 is OPPOSITESATTRACT, 16 letters long, running from row 8, column 6 to row 3, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “We beg to differ” mean?
The Strands theme “We beg to differ” for September 17, 2025 means OPPOSITESATTRACT — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands September 17, 2025?
Strands puzzle #563 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the September 17, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #563 rates average on a computed index, harder than 49% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on September 17, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, September 17, 2025 is #563, 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 September 2025, part of the full Strands archive.