The New York Times’ Strands puzzle challenges players to identify hidden words within a grid, all connected by a central theme. For today’s edition (#574), the core concept revolves around playing cards.
If you’re stuck, here’s a breakdown of how to approach the puzzle and the complete solutions:
Understanding the Puzzle Mechanics
Strands requires finding words of four letters or more. Each valid word reveals a letter in a hidden theme word. Once you identify three qualifying words, the puzzle provides a hint for the theme itself.
Hints for Today’s Puzzle
The theme for September 28 is “Hit the deck!”
If that isn’t enough, consider this clue: “Shuffle and deal.”
To unlock in-game hints, start by finding words like:
- CHAT
- CHATS
- MADS
- NINE
- SASS
- PASS
- MOSS
- CLUB
- HEAR
- HEARS
Full Solutions
The complete answers for today’s Strands puzzle are:
- JACK
- QUEEN
- KING
- CLUBS
- HEARTS
- DIAMONDS
- SPADES
The spangram —a theme word spanning the entire grid—is not explicitly stated, but the overall context implies it is related to the card game theme. Completing all words ensures every letter on the board is used.
Strands tests vocabulary and pattern recognition, and is a fun challenge for puzzle enthusiasts.
