Stuck on today’s Strands? Here’s a clean, spoiler-controlled rundown for Monday, September 29, 2025. If you want to play first or check your board, open Strands in the NYT Games app or on the web at nytimes.com/games/strands.

Quick facts for Strands #575 (Sep 29, 2025)

Item Detail
Theme clue “Chew on that!”
Plain theme Flavors you’d find in chewing gum
Difficulty Easy
Spangram direction Horizontal

Light hints (no spoilers)

  • Think classic gum varieties found next to the register.
  • Specific tastes, not brands.

Targeted nudges:

  • Fruity flavor you’ll often see on “bubble” packaging.
  • Sweet-and-spicy taste sourced from tree bark.

Full answers (spoilers)

Spangram: GUMFLAVOR (runs left-to-right)

Theme words:

  • BUBBLE
  • CINNAMON
  • WINTERGREEN
  • SPEARMINT
  • BERRY

How today’s board fits together

All entries align with the “gum flavors” idea. The horizontal spangram anchors the grid and helps partition the remaining letters into five flavor words. Expect straightforward letter paths with the usual Strands twists—direction changes are allowed and every tile is used once.

New to Strands?

  • Words connect through adjacent letters in any direction; paths can turn.
  • Every letter on the board is used exactly once.
  • The spangram states the theme and spans the grid horizontally or vertically.
  • Submit three valid non-theme words (4+ letters) to gain a hint that highlights one theme word’s letters.

Tip: If a corner yields a clear flavor, lock it in early—then trace the spangram through the densest shared letters.

That’s it for Strands #575. If you’re still working through the grid, start with the mints, sweep up the spice, then place the fruit—once the spangram is in, the rest should fall quickly.