NYT Strands puzzle #574 for Sunday, September 28, 2025, has the theme “Hit the deck!” The spangram and seven theme words are below, with spoiler-light nudges first.
Spoiler-light hints for September 28
The theme clue is “Hit the deck!” For another nudge, think: “Shuffle and deal.”
Need help filling the in-game hint meter? Try finding valid words of four or more letters that are not puzzle answers. These examples are optional meter words:
- CHAT, CHATS, MADS, NINE, SASS
- PASS, MOSS, CLUB, HEAR, HEARS
- MAID, POET, RACE, CHAPS, DING, MOAN
The guide says three qualifying words reveal a theme word. In Strands, letters can connect in any direction, but you cannot reuse a tile within the same word. The spangram summarizes the theme and crosses the board from one side to the other.
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Spangram spoiler
INTHECARDS
TechRadar describes the 10-letter spangram as running backwards, touching the right edge at row five and the left edge at row six.
Full answer list spoiler
- JACK
- QUEEN
- KING
- CLUBS
- HEARTS
- DIAMONDS
- SPADES
The theme groups the four playing-card suits with three face cards; INTHECARDS is the phrase that ties them together.
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Open the official NYT Strands page to play. Strands guides report that puzzles appear at midnight in each time zone, so “today” may refer to a different board depending on where you are. This answer guide is specifically for puzzle #574, dated September 28, 2025.
Quick Recap
Rank #3
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