#623Sunday, November 16, 2025
Strands answers for November 16, 2025 — “Around it goes” (#623)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for November 16, 2025 (puzzle #623) is THATSAWRAP, a 10-letter answer to the theme "Around it goes". The 6 theme words are CELLOPHANE, FLATBREAD, FOIL, SCARF, SHAWL and STOLE.
Where is each answer on the November 16 Strands board?
The 6 theme words for Strands on November 16, 2025 are listed below, followed by the spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CELLOPHANE | 10 | row 2, column 4 | row 7, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| FLATBREAD | 9 | row 3, column 5 | row 7, column 5 | top to bottom |
| FOIL | 4 | row 7, column 3 | row 7, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| SCARF | 5 | row 2, column 1 | row 1, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| SHAWL | 5 | row 2, column 5 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| STOLE | 5 | row 3, column 1 | row 3, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| THATSAWRAP | 10 | row 6, column 1 | row 6, column 6 | left to right |
What did the November 16 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for November 16, 2025 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 10 letters6 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads C-R-F-H-A-L, row 2 reads S-A-E-C-S-W, row 3 reads S-E-O-L-F-A, row 4 reads T-L-P-L-L-T, row 5 reads O-A-H-E-R-B, row 6 reads T-N-O-I-A-P, row 7 reads H-E-F-L-D-A, and row 8 reads A-T-S-A-W-R.
How hard was the November 16 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the November 16, 2025 puzzle lands in the easy range — above 29% of all Strands puzzles.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the November 16 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #623 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Christina Iverson. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the November 16 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on November 16, 2025?
The Strands clue for November 16, 2025 is “Around it goes”, on puzzle #623. It is answered by the spangram THATSAWRAP, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on November 16, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for November 16, 2025 are CELLOPHANE, FLATBREAD, FOIL, SCARF, SHAWL and STOLE, plus the spangram THATSAWRAP.
What was the big word in the November 16, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for November 16, 2025 is THATSAWRAP, 10 letters long, running from row 6, column 1 to row 6, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Around it goes” mean?
The Strands theme “Around it goes” for November 16, 2025 means THATSAWRAP — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands November 16, 2025?
Strands puzzle #623 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the November 16, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #623 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 29% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on November 16, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, November 16, 2025 is #623, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in November 2025, part of the full Strands archive.