Loading puzzle...

NYT Strands Answer & Hints — “For goodness' sake”, September 30, 2025

Stuck on the September 30, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle? Here are progressive hints and the full answer for the “For goodness' sake” puzzle (Strands #270 of 509 in our archive). Every reveal is hidden by default — click to open the ones you need.

Spoiler warning. The answers below are for the September 30, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle. Scroll past this section if you want to solve it yourself first.
Hint 1: The themeReveal

The theme for the September 30, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle is “For goodness' sake”. Every theme word and the spangram connects back to this phrase, so think about what related words might fit a 6×8 grid of 48 letters before you start scanning.

Hint 2: Spangram length and first letterReveal

The spangram for the “For goodness' sake” puzzle is 6 letters long and starts with the letter V. It touches two opposite edges of the grid, as every NYT Strands spangram does.

Hint 3: How many theme wordsReveal

Besides the spangram, the September 30, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle has 5 theme words. Together with the spangram, they use every letter on the 6×8 grid exactly once.

Answer: Full spangramReveal

The spangram for the September 30, 2025 NYT Strands “For goodness' sake” puzzle is VALUES. It spans two opposite edges of the 6×8 grid and captures the theme directly.

Answer: All theme wordsReveal

Here are the 5 theme words for the September 30, 2025 NYT Strands “For goodness' sake” puzzle:

  • COOPERATION
  • DISCIPLINE
  • EMPATHY
  • HONESTY
  • RESPECT

Plus the spangram VALUES, that’s every word on the grid — all 48 letters accounted for.

Answers for the September 30, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle. Strands Unlimited is an independent fan archive — today's NYT Strands is free on nytimes.com/games/strands.

About the "For goodness' sake" NYT Strands puzzle

This puzzle is themed "For goodness' sake", a descriptive phrase that captures the essence of what you're searching for. In Strands, descriptive themes give you a broad direction without being too specific — the fun is in discovering exactly which nature & animals words the puzzle maker chose to represent the idea. The spangram will name the core concept, and the theme words are its supporting cast.

This puzzle has 5 theme words hidden in the grid — a balanced count that gives you enough to work with without overwhelming the board. The 6-letter spangram is on the shorter side, which can actually make it harder to spot — shorter words have fewer distinctive letter patterns to latch onto. Originally published on a Tuesday, As puzzle #270 of 509+, this one comes from the middle of the Strands collection, when the puzzle makers had hit their stride.

#270
Puzzle Number
5
Theme Words
6
Spangram Letters
Easy
Difficulty

How to approach "For goodness' sake"

  • The theme paints a picture. Brainstorm 5-10 words that come to mind when you read it, then scan the grid for those words or close variants.
  • Start by scanning the grid edges for the spangram — it must connect two opposite sides. Once you find it, the theme becomes clear and the remaining words are easier to spot.
  • If you get stuck, try finding non-theme words (any valid 4+ letter English word) to earn hints. Each hint reveals one letter of an unsolved theme word.
PreviousAll NYT Strands answersNext

More puzzles from September 2025

29 Mon
Chew on that!
28 Sun
Hit the deck!
27 Sat
Mum's the word
26 Fri
As old as time
25 Thu
Simply divine
24 Wed
Lip service
View all September puzzles

More NYT Strands puzzles

Jun 10
Mind your manners
May 30
We'll be there
May 29
E-I-E-I-O
May 28
Talking scents
May 27
Ketchup or mustard?
May 25
Thank you
May 24
Turn, turn, turn
May 23
Staying alive

Sister Sites · More logic puzzles

Queens
Region logic, daily + 1,500 puzzles
Patches
Region-stitching puzzle
Tango
No 3-in-a-row pattern
Zip
Path-drawing puzzle
Mini Sudoku
Compact sudoku
Strands Unlimited is an independent fan archive of past Strands puzzles. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The New York Times Company. NYT Strands is a trademark of The New York Times Company. Today's daily puzzle is free at nytimes.com/games/strands.