If you’re hooked on the daily NYT Strands puzzle, you’re not alone. It’s a fresh word game from the New York Times that combines elements of a word search with clever, theme-based twists.

27 September 2025 NYT Strands Theme: “Mum’s the Word”

Today’s Strands puzzle whispers instead of shouts. The theme “Mum’s the Word” takes you into the world of silence, where all answers relate to keeping things soft, muted, or completely quiet.

Hints for Today’s Strands

Before peeking at the full answers, here are eight gentle nudges:

  • No Talking: Think of words used when you want someone to hush.
  • Volume Control: Some are like settings on a TV or phone.
  • Barely Heard: One answer means sound that doesn’t quite register.
  • Completely Gone: Another means no sound at all.
  • Soft Sounds: One word describes the absence of noise in a gentle way.
  • Classic Word: A synonym for “still” often used in stories and poems.
  • Not Loud: Similar to quiet but even more delicate.
  • Spangram: A two-word phrase that literally means stop making noise.

27 September 2025 Strands Answers

  • QUIET – soft, minimal sound
  • MUTED – softened or toned down
  • INAUDIBLE – impossible to hear
  • SILENT – total lack of sound
  • NOISELESS – moving without a trace of sound
  • HUSHED – softly quiet, subdued

Spangram

PIPE DOWN — a perfect phrase tying the puzzle together, telling you to lower the noise or stop talking altogether.

How Strands works

Strands is a daily word search puzzle with a twist:

  • You’re given a theme.
  • The grid is packed with hidden words tied to that theme.
  • Words can run in any direction, including diagonals.
  • Once you find all the theme words, you’re done!

Each puzzle usually has around 6–8 theme words.

How to get and use hints

Hints are built right into Strands, and they’re super useful if you’re stuck:

  • To earn a hint, find any non-theme word of at least four letters in the grid.
  • Each valid extra word gives you one hint.
  • When you use a hint, one of the theme words will be revealed automatically, helping you move forward.

Pro tip: Don’t just burn hints — use them strategically when the grid feels impossible. Sometimes a single revealed word unlocks the entire board.

Tips to become a NYT Strands pro

  1. Start with obvious words. Look for clear connections to the theme first.
  2. Scan diagonals early. Strands loves to hide words at an angle.
  3. Build around found words. Once one word is cleared, the leftover letters often point to the next.
  4. Use hints wisely. Earn them steadily by spotting extra words, then save them for when you’re truly stuck.
  5. Think about synonyms. The theme clue isn’t always literal — broaden your thinking.

Final Thoughts

This Strands felt like tiptoeing through a library. The answers weren’t flashy but carried a soft, poetic calm — a nice change of pace after mechanical gears and ticking clocks.

September 27’s Strands wrapped the week in silence. A puzzle that reminds us: sometimes the most powerful statement is made without words at all.