#574Sunday, September 28, 2025
Strands answers for September 28, 2025 — “Hit the deck!” (#574)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for September 28, 2025 (puzzle #574) is INTHECARDS, a 10-letter answer to the theme "Hit the deck!". The 7 theme words are CLUBS, DIAMONDS, HEARTS, JACK, KING, QUEEN and SPADES.
Where is each answer on the September 28 Strands board?
Strands #574 resolves to these 7 theme words plus the spangram INTHECARDS.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLUBS | 5 | row 1, column 3 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| DIAMONDS | 8 | row 2, column 6 | row 4, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| HEARTS | 6 | row 2, column 3 | row 1, column 6 | left to right |
| JACK | 4 | row 6, column 3 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| KING | 4 | row 7, column 5 | row 7, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| QUEEN | 5 | row 7, column 3 | row 8, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| SPADES | 6 | row 4, column 3 | row 4, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| INTHECARDS | 10 | row 5, column 6 | row 6, column 1 | right to left |
What did the September 28 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #574 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
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 S-B-C-E-R-S, row 2 reads U-L-H-A-T-D, row 3 reads D-A-P-M-A-I, row 4 reads E-S-S-O-N-S, row 5 reads R-A-C-E-D-I, row 6 reads S-D-J-H-T-N, row 7 reads C-A-Q-E-K-G, and row 8 reads K-U-E-N-I-N.
How hard was the September 28 Strands puzzle?
Strands #574 scores average on our difficulty index, harder than 39% 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 September 28 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #574 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 28 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on September 28, 2025?
The Strands clue for September 28, 2025 is “Hit the deck!”, on puzzle #574. It is answered by the spangram INTHECARDS, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on September 28, 2025?
The 7 Strands theme words for September 28, 2025 are CLUBS, DIAMONDS, HEARTS, JACK, KING, QUEEN and SPADES, plus the spangram INTHECARDS.
What was the big word in the September 28, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for September 28, 2025 is INTHECARDS, 10 letters long, running from row 5, column 6 to row 6, column 1. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Hit the deck!” mean?
The Strands theme “Hit the deck!” for September 28, 2025 means INTHECARDS — 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 28, 2025?
Strands puzzle #574 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the September 28, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #574 rates average on a computed index, harder than 39% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on September 28, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, September 28, 2025 is #574, 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.