#572Friday, September 26, 2025
Strands answers for September 26, 2025 — “As old as time” (#572)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for September 26, 2025 (puzzle #572) is GRANDFATHERCLOCK, a 16-letter answer to the theme "As old as time". The 5 theme words are CHIMES, GEARS, PENDULUM, WEIGHTS and WINDER.
Where is each answer on the September 26 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #572 is 5 theme words and one spangram.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHIMES | 6 | row 4, column 2 | row 1, column 1 | bottom to top |
| GEARS | 5 | row 1, column 6 | row 2, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| PENDULUM | 8 | row 5, column 4 | row 7, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| WEIGHTS | 7 | row 3, column 5 | row 6, column 6 | top to bottom |
| WINDER | 6 | row 5, column 2 | row 8, column 2 | top to bottom |
| GRANDFATHERCLOCK | 16 | row 1, column 2 | row 8, column 3 | top to bottom |
What did the September 26 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 — 16 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 S-G-R-A-E-G, row 2 reads E-F-D-N-S-A, row 3 reads I-M-A-E-W-R, row 4 reads H-C-T-I-G-H, row 5 reads I-W-H-P-E-T, row 6 reads N-O-E-R-N-S, row 7 reads D-C-L-C-D-M, and row 8 reads E-R-K-U-L-U.
How hard was the September 26 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #572 as hard: it sits at the 91th 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 September 26 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #572 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 26 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on September 26, 2025?
The Strands clue for September 26, 2025 is “As old as time”, on puzzle #572. It is answered by the spangram GRANDFATHERCLOCK, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on September 26, 2025?
The 5 Strands theme words for September 26, 2025 are CHIMES, GEARS, PENDULUM, WEIGHTS and WINDER, plus the spangram GRANDFATHERCLOCK.
What was the big word in the September 26, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for September 26, 2025 is GRANDFATHERCLOCK, 16 letters long, running from row 1, column 2 to row 8, column 3. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “As old as time” mean?
The Strands theme “As old as time” for September 26, 2025 means GRANDFATHERCLOCK — 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 September 26, 2025?
Strands puzzle #572 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the September 26, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #572 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 91% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on September 26, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Friday, September 26, 2025 is #572, 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.