#596Monday, October 20, 2025
Strands answers for October 20, 2025 — “It's in the mail” (#596)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for October 20, 2025 (puzzle #596) is CHECKLIST, a 9-letter answer to the theme "It's in the mail". The 6 theme words are ADDRESS, AMOUNT, MEMO, NUMBER, ROUTING and SIGNATURE.
Where is each answer on the October 20 Strands board?
Strands #596 resolves to these 6 theme words plus the spangram CHECKLIST.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADDRESS | 7 | row 1, column 4 | row 2, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| AMOUNT | 6 | row 3, column 3 | row 4, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| MEMO | 4 | row 7, column 4 | row 7, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| NUMBER | 6 | row 3, column 2 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| ROUTING | 7 | row 7, column 1 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| SIGNATURE | 9 | row 6, column 1 | row 6, column 5 | left to right |
| CHECKLIST | 9 | row 4, column 1 | row 7, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the October 20 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #596 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 9 letters6 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads R-E-S-A-D-D, row 2 reads B-M-S-E-R-U, row 3 reads U-N-A-M-O-N, row 4 reads C-H-E-C-T-L, row 5 reads I-G-T-U-K-I, row 6 reads S-N-A-R-E-S, row 7 reads R-O-U-M-O-T, and row 8 reads G-N-I-T-E-M.
How hard was the October 20 Strands puzzle?
Strands #596 scores easy on our difficulty index, harder than 27% of every Strands puzzle published so far.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the October 20 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #596 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Christina Iverson. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the October 20 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on October 20, 2025?
The Strands clue for October 20, 2025 is “It's in the mail”, on puzzle #596. It is answered by the spangram CHECKLIST, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on October 20, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for October 20, 2025 are ADDRESS, AMOUNT, MEMO, NUMBER, ROUTING and SIGNATURE, plus the spangram CHECKLIST.
What was the big word in the October 20, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for October 20, 2025 is CHECKLIST, 9 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 7, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “It's in the mail” mean?
The Strands theme “It's in the mail” for October 20, 2025 means CHECKLIST — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands October 20, 2025?
Strands puzzle #596 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the October 20, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #596 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 27% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on October 20, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Monday, October 20, 2025 is #596, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in October 2025, part of the full Strands archive.