#562Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Strands answers for September 16, 2025 — “Riding high” (#562)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for September 16, 2025 (puzzle #562) is ZIPLINING, a 9-letter answer to the theme "Riding high". The 6 theme words are CABLE, CARABINER, GLOVES, HARNESS, HELMET and PULLEY.
Where is each answer on the September 16 Strands board?
Here are all 6 theme words from the September 16, 2025 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CABLE | 5 | row 6, column 2 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| CARABINER | 9 | row 1, column 3 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| GLOVES | 6 | row 8, column 4 | row 8, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| HARNESS | 7 | row 6, column 4 | row 4, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| HELMET | 6 | row 2, column 2 | row 5, column 2 | top to bottom |
| PULLEY | 6 | row 1, column 6 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| ZIPLINING | 9 | row 8, column 3 | row 1, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the September 16 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 7 words tile all 48 cells of the September 16, 2025 grid.
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-A-C-N-G-P, row 2 reads A-H-I-L-L-U, row 3 reads B-E-L-N-E-Y, row 4 reads I-M-I-S-S-E, row 5 reads N-T-E-L-R-N, row 6 reads E-C-P-H-A-O, row 7 reads R-B-A-I-L-V, and row 8 reads E-L-Z-G-S-E.
How hard was the September 16 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #562 comes out average, ahead of 34% of them.
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 16 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #562 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 16 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on September 16, 2025?
The Strands clue for September 16, 2025 is “Riding high”, on puzzle #562. It is answered by the spangram ZIPLINING, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on September 16, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for September 16, 2025 are CABLE, CARABINER, GLOVES, HARNESS, HELMET and PULLEY, plus the spangram ZIPLINING.
What was the big word in the September 16, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for September 16, 2025 is ZIPLINING, 9 letters long, running from row 8, column 3 to row 1, column 5. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Riding high” mean?
The Strands theme “Riding high” for September 16, 2025 means ZIPLINING — 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 September 16, 2025?
Strands puzzle #562 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the September 16, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #562 rates average on a computed index, harder than 34% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on September 16, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, September 16, 2025 is #562, 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.