#561Monday, September 15, 2025
Strands answers for September 15, 2025 — “For a fortune” (#561)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for September 15, 2025 (puzzle #561) is TAROTCARDS, a 10-letter answer to the theme "For a fortune". The 7 theme words are DEVIL, EMPRESS, FOOL, LOVERS, MAGICIAN, MOON and STAR.
Where is each answer on the September 15 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #561 is 7 theme words and one spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEVIL | 5 | row 3, column 3 | row 3, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| EMPRESS | 7 | row 3, column 5 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| FOOL | 4 | row 1, column 1 | row 2, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| LOVERS | 6 | row 6, column 1 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| MAGICIAN | 8 | row 6, column 5 | row 6, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| MOON | 4 | row 2, column 6 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| STAR | 4 | row 5, column 1 | row 5, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| TAROTCARDS | 10 | row 1, column 4 | row 8, column 3 | top to bottom |
What did the September 15 Strands grid look like?
The grid below is six letters wide and eight rows deep, with every answer traced through the letters it uses.
Spangram — 10 letters7 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 F-O-O-T-O-N, row 2 reads I-V-L-A-O-M, row 3 reads L-E-D-R-E-S, row 4 reads T-A-C-O-M-S, row 5 reads S-R-A-T-P-E, row 6 reads L-O-R-N-M-R, row 7 reads S-V-D-A-C-A, and row 8 reads R-E-S-I-I-G.
How hard was the September 15 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #561 as easy: it sits at the 7th percentile of every Strands grid to date.
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 September 15 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #561 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 September 15 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on September 15, 2025?
The Strands clue for September 15, 2025 is “For a fortune”, on puzzle #561. It is answered by the spangram TAROTCARDS, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on September 15, 2025?
The 7 Strands theme words for September 15, 2025 are DEVIL, EMPRESS, FOOL, LOVERS, MAGICIAN, MOON and STAR, plus the spangram TAROTCARDS.
What was the big word in the September 15, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for September 15, 2025 is TAROTCARDS, 10 letters long, running from row 1, column 4 to row 8, column 3. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “For a fortune” mean?
The Strands theme “For a fortune” for September 15, 2025 means TAROTCARDS — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 7 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands September 15, 2025?
Strands puzzle #561 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the September 15, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #561 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 7% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on September 15, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Monday, September 15, 2025 is #561, 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 September 2025, part of the full Strands archive.