Strands refreshes at midnight in your time zone, and today’s game is No. 568. If you’re jumping in now, you can play it on the New York Times Games site at nytimes.com/games/strands.

Today’s theme (light hint)

The theme prompt is: Find an opening. Think small spaces and built-in recesses—places where something could fit, be tucked away, or slightly disappear from view.

How to unlock in‑game hints

As always, any valid word of four or more letters will count toward revealing a theme word. If you need a jump-start, try easy finds like LOOK, THAN, or COVE. Three such words trigger one free reveal.

Spangram hint

  • Letter count: 10
  • Board coverage: touches the left and right edges
  • Clue: a three‑word safety announcement you’ll hear on London’s transit

Spoilers below.

All answers for Strands #568 (Sep 22)

  • NOOK
  • CRANNY
  • CREVICE
  • ALCOVE
  • NICHE
  • PIGEONHOLE
  • Spangram: MINDTHEGAP

What today’s grid is doing

Everything here orbits the theme of openings and recesses, from small, cozy corners (NOOK, CRANNY) to architectural cutouts (ALCOVE, NICHE) and tight natural splits (CREVICE). PIGEONHOLE pulls double duty as both a literal compartment and a tidy semantic fit for the category. The spangram, MINDTHEGAP, ties it together with a well‑known phrase about watching the space—another kind of opening—between train and platform.

Yesterday’s puzzle (reference)

  • FORTIFY
  • SUPPORT
  • COMFORT
  • BOLSTER
  • STRENGTHEN
  • Spangram: SOLIDARITY

That’s it for today. If you’re protecting a streak, the safest approach is to bank a few easy four‑letter words early to unlock the first reveal, then use the spangram to anchor your path across the board.