Spoilers ahead for NYT Strands game #591. If you want to play first, head to the Strands homepage on the New York Times Games site at nytimes.com/games/strands.

NYT Strands #591 theme and difficulty (October 15)

Theme: “Going up?”

Difficulty: Moderate.

Quick nudge: clue words to trigger in‑game hints

Play any of these valid grid words to unlock the puzzle’s built‑in hint system:

  • BRAVE
  • ARMOR
  • PETS
  • SEAM
  • VOTE
  • BLOG

Spangram details for today

  • Spangram length: 15 letters.
  • Board path: touches the bottom on the 3rd column and the top on the 4th column.
  • Answer: ELEVATORBUTTONS.

All answers for NYT Strands #591 (October 15)

The theme set centers on controls and destinations you find inside an elevator.

Word What it references
ELEVATORBUTTONS Spangram tying the theme together
OPEN Door control
CLOSE Door control
ALARM Emergency button
LOBBY Common floor selection
GROUND Common floor selection
BASEMENT Common floor selection

Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Oct 14, game #590)

  • PEBBLE
  • STONE
  • BOULDER
  • JELLY
  • DINNER
  • CRESCENT
  • Spangram: ROCKANDROLL

How Strands works (quick refresher)

Strands plays on a 6×8 grid of letters. Every letter is used exactly once across the final solution set. Each puzzle hides a theme; you find multiple thematically related words plus a single spangram that spans the board and encapsulates the theme. You can string letters in any direction as long as each path forms a valid word.

New puzzles arrive at midnight in your time zone. Check back tomorrow to keep your streak going.