#576Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Strands answers for September 30, 2025 — “For goodness' sake” (#576)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for September 30, 2025 (puzzle #576) is VALUES, a 6-letter answer to the theme "For goodness' sake". The 5 theme words are COOPERATION, DISCIPLINE, EMPATHY, HONESTY and RESPECT.
Where is each answer on the September 30 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #576 is 5 theme words and one spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COOPERATION | 11 | row 6, column 1 | row 5, column 5 | left to right |
| DISCIPLINE | 10 | row 6, column 5 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| EMPATHY | 7 | row 3, column 4 | row 3, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| HONESTY | 7 | row 3, column 6 | row 1, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| RESPECT | 7 | row 1, column 1 | row 2, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| VALUES | 6 | row 4, column 6 | row 5, column 1 | right to left |
What did the September 30 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 — 6 letters5 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-S-P-E-Y-T, row 2 reads E-T-C-N-E-S, row 3 reads H-Y-M-E-O-H, row 4 reads T-A-P-L-A-V, row 5 reads S-E-U-O-N-I, row 6 reads C-O-I-P-D-S, row 7 reads P-O-T-L-I-C, and row 8 reads E-R-A-I-N-E.
How hard was the September 30 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #576 as above average: it sits at the 70th 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 30 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #576 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 30 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on September 30, 2025?
The Strands clue for September 30, 2025 is “For goodness' sake”, on puzzle #576. It is answered by the spangram VALUES, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on September 30, 2025?
The 5 Strands theme words for September 30, 2025 are COOPERATION, DISCIPLINE, EMPATHY, HONESTY and RESPECT, plus the spangram VALUES.
What was the big word in the September 30, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for September 30, 2025 is VALUES, 6 letters long, running from row 4, column 6 to row 5, 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 “For goodness' sake” mean?
The Strands theme “For goodness' sake” for September 30, 2025 means VALUES — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 5 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands September 30, 2025?
Strands puzzle #576 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the September 30, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #576 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 70% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on September 30, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, September 30, 2025 is #576, 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.