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NYT Strands game #555, for Tuesday, September 9, 2025, has the theme clue “No gray area.” Its spangram is BLACK AND WHITE; the six theme words are DICE, DOMINO, NEWSPAPER, ORCA, PENGUIN, and PIANO. Hints below move from subtle to complete, so stop before the answer section if you want to keep solving.
Theme hint
The theme clue is “No gray area.” Think of familiar things associated with two contrasting colors. This clue is reported by TechRadar, Try Hard Guides, and The Times of India.
Progressive word clues
If you need a nudge without seeing the full list, these two clues from The Times of India point to individual answers:
- Six-faced cubes marked with dots on every side: DICE.
- A non-flying bird native to the Antarctic region: PENGUIN.
Full Strands answers for September 9
Spangram: BLACK AND WHITE
Theme words: DICE, DOMINO, NEWSPAPER, ORCA, PENGUIN, PIANO.
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TechRadar, Try Hard Guides, and The Times of India report the same answer set. These are retrospective answers for the September 9, 2025 puzzle, not a claim of affiliation with The New York Times.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Strands hints work
Strands is a themed word-search game: connect adjacent letters in any direction, including diagonally, and turn as you trace a word. The spangram describes the theme and runs from one side of the board to the opposite side. The Times of India and a third-party Strands rules guide describe the in-game hint mechanic: find three valid words that are not theme answers to reveal the location of a theme word. The rules guide is not affiliated with NYT.
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