Today’s NYT Strands Hints and Answers for September 22 Puzzle #568

The New York Times Strands puzzle for September 22, 2025, has been released. The daily word game challenged players with a tricky theme. The theme was “Find an opening.” The puzzle number is 568. Many players found the words tough at first. But once the theme was clear, the answers became easier to spot.

The puzzle also featured a spangram, which connects one side of the board to the other. Today’s spangram was “MINDTHEGAP.” Other answers included words linked to openings such as NOOK, NICHE, ALCOVE, CRANNY, CREVICE, and PIGEONHOLE.

Today’s NYT Strands Hints and Theme Explained

The Strands puzzle always starts with a theme. Today’s theme, “Find an opening,” guided the answers. Each solution pointed to a type of small opening, space, or gap.

Players were given a clue word, “Small area,” which hinted at hidden words. The game lets players discover theme words by finding any three random words of four letters or more. This unlocks hints. Some examples of filler words used to unlock clues included CANT, PAGE, LOOK, MINE, and HOLE.

The nonspangram answers for the puzzle were:

NOOK

NICHE

ALCOVE

CRANNY

CREVICE

PIGEONHOLE

The final and most important answer was the spangram “MINDTHEGAP.” This phrase stretched across the board. It was hidden starting from the M on the far-right column, winding upward.

How to Play Strands and Why Today’s Puzzle Stands Out

Strands is part of The New York Times Games collection. It runs daily along with Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword. Players search for words that match the daily theme. Once all theme words are found, every letter on the grid is used.

Today’s Strands stood out because of its playful theme. “Find an opening” pushed solvers to think about physical spaces. Words like NOOK and CREVICE showed how wide the concept could be. The spangram “MINDTHEGAP” was also unique, drawing from a phrase many people know from train stations.

According to major puzzle trackers like CNET and Reuters, Strands has quickly gained popularity for its mix of logic and wordplay. Fans are now pairing it with Wordle and Connections for a daily brain workout.

Today’s NYT Strands Hints are a key guide for players who get stuck. They help keep the puzzle fun without giving away too much. Many solvers used them today to crack puzzle #568.

FYI (keeping you in the loop)-

Q1: What is today’s NYT Strands theme?

The theme for September 22, 2025, puzzle #568 is “Find an opening.” It focused on words for small spaces or gaps.

Q2: What are the answers for today’s Strands puzzle?

The answers are NOOK, NICHE, ALCOVE, CRANNY, CREVICE, PIGEONHOLE, and the spangram MINDTHEGAP.

Q3: What is the spangram in Strands #568?

The spangram is MINDTHEGAP. It stretches across the board from one side to the other.

Q4: How do you unlock hints in Strands?

You unlock hints by finding any three words with four or more letters. The game then reveals one of the theme words.

Q5: Why is Strands popular with NYT Games fans?

Strands is popular because it blends word searches with logic. It gives a clear theme but still challenges players to think creatively.