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NYT Strands game #553, played Sunday, September 7, 2025, has the theme “Coming of age.” If you want to solve it yourself, start with the theme clue below and reveal the answers only when you’re ready.
Hints for Strands #553
- Theme: Coming of age.
- Stronger hint: Time to become a full member of a community.
- Opening letters: In left-to-right, top-to-bottom order, the theme entries begin BA, TH, TO, SY, RA, PA, and LC.
The puzzle has seven theme entries, including the spangram. These progressive clues are reported in Forbes’ guide to the puzzle.
How Strands hints work
Strands uses a six-by-eight letter grid. Trace theme words by connecting letters horizontally, vertically, or diagonally; you can change direction as you trace. The spangram summarizes the theme, stretches across the board, and is highlighted differently from the other theme words.
To earn an in-game hint, find three valid words of at least four letters that are not theme answers. The hint then highlights the letters of a theme word. All Things How’s guide to puzzle #553 describes this mechanic.
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Spangram and answers
Spoiler warning: The complete answer list is below.
- Spangram: BAR MITZVAH
- THIRTEEN
- TORAH
- SYNAGOGUE
- RABBI
- PARTY
- L’CHAIM
The answer list agrees across Forbes, TechRadar, and All Things How. Some guides write the final answer as LCHAIM, without punctuation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How difficult was this puzzle?
TechRadar’s writer described the puzzle as easy, and All Things How reported that its paid testers marked it “easy.” Those are assessments, not an objective difficulty rating.
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