If you’re working through today’s Strands and want a nudge (or the outright solution), here’s the verified theme, spangram, and every themed word for puzzle #569. You can play or check your board at the official Strands page on The New York Times Games site: nytimes.com/games/strands.

Strands #569 theme (Sept. 23, 2025)

Theme: On the syllabus

Plainly put, the answers are the kinds of tasks and activities a university student does as part of a course.

Today’s spangram

Spangram (the grid-spanning phrase that encapsulates the theme): College Course (rendered in-grid without a space).

Note: Coverage of today’s puzzle differs on pathing — some solutions show a horizontal trace, others describe a route that winds downward from the first “C” on the top row. Either way, the underlying spangram is the same and must span the grid in a single continuous path.

All themed answers for #569

Answer Type
COLLEGECOURSE Spangram
EXAM Theme word
QUIZ Theme word
PAPER Theme word
LECTURE Theme word
READING Theme word
HOMEWORK Theme word

Quick refresher on Strands mechanics

  • The grid is six by eight letters. You form words by linking adjacent letters in any direction, and paths can turn.
  • Every letter on the board is used in the final solution set.
  • There’s a daily theme that ties all answers together, plus a spangram that spans the grid and summarizes the theme.
  • If you get stuck, finding three valid words of four or more letters triggers an in-game reveal of a theme word.

Difficulty for Sept. 23, 2025

Today’s puzzle is rated easy.

Play or revisit this puzzle