#568Monday, September 22, 2025
Strands answers for September 22, 2025 — “Find an opening” (#568)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for September 22, 2025 (puzzle #568) is MINDTHEGAP, a 10-letter answer to the theme "Find an opening". The 6 theme words are ALCOVE, CRANNY, CREVICE, NICHE, NOOK and PIGEONHOLE.
Where is each answer on the September 22 Strands board?
The 6 theme words for Strands on September 22, 2025 are listed below, followed by the spangram.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALCOVE | 6 | row 1, column 1 | row 4, column 1 | top to bottom |
| CRANNY | 6 | row 2, column 6 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| CREVICE | 7 | row 5, column 3 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| NICHE | 5 | row 7, column 3 | row 8, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| NOOK | 4 | row 2, column 2 | row 1, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| PIGEONHOLE | 10 | row 8, column 6 | row 5, column 6 | bottom to top |
| MINDTHEGAP | 10 | row 5, column 1 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the September 22 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for September 22, 2025 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 10 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 A-L-O-K-A-P, row 2 reads C-N-O-E-G-C, row 3 reads O-V-T-H-R-Y, row 4 reads E-N-D-A-N-N, row 5 reads M-I-C-O-L-E, row 6 reads E-R-I-H-N-E, row 7 reads C-E-N-C-O-G, and row 8 reads I-V-E-H-I-P.
How hard was the September 22 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the September 22, 2025 puzzle lands in the hard range — above 90% of all Strands puzzles.
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 22 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #568 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 September 22 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on September 22, 2025?
The Strands clue for September 22, 2025 is “Find an opening”, on puzzle #568. It is answered by the spangram MINDTHEGAP, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on September 22, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for September 22, 2025 are ALCOVE, CRANNY, CREVICE, NICHE, NOOK and PIGEONHOLE, plus the spangram MINDTHEGAP.
What was the big word in the September 22, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for September 22, 2025 is MINDTHEGAP, 10 letters long, running from row 5, column 1 to row 1, 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 “Find an opening” mean?
The Strands theme “Find an opening” for September 22, 2025 means MINDTHEGAP — 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 22, 2025?
Strands puzzle #568 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the September 22, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #568 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 90% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on September 22, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Monday, September 22, 2025 is #568, 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.