#629Saturday, November 22, 2025
Strands answers for November 22, 2025 — “Ivy League” (#629)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for November 22, 2025 (puzzle #629) is SPORTSTEAM, a 10-letter answer to the theme "Ivy League". The 6 theme words are BEARS, BULLDOGS, CRIMSON, LIONS, QUAKERS and TIGERS.
Where is each answer on the November 22 Strands board?
Here are all 6 theme words from the November 22, 2025 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEARS | 5 | row 4, column 1 | row 5, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| BULLDOGS | 8 | row 2, column 3 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| CRIMSON | 7 | row 7, column 5 | row 5, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| LIONS | 5 | row 6, column 4 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| QUAKERS | 7 | row 1, column 5 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| TIGERS | 6 | row 6, column 2 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| SPORTSTEAM | 10 | row 1, column 3 | row 8, column 3 | top to bottom |
What did the November 22 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 7 words tile all 48 cells of the November 22, 2025 grid.
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 S-O-S-P-Q-S, row 2 reads G-D-B-O-U-R, row 3 reads L-L-U-R-A-E, row 4 reads B-E-A-T-K-O, row 5 reads S-R-T-S-N-S, row 6 reads G-T-E-L-M-I, row 7 reads E-I-A-I-C-R, and row 8 reads S-R-M-O-N-S.
How hard was the November 22 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #629 comes out easy, ahead of 5% of them.
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 22 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #629 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 22 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on November 22, 2025?
The Strands clue for November 22, 2025 is “Ivy League”, on puzzle #629. It is answered by the spangram SPORTSTEAM, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on November 22, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for November 22, 2025 are BEARS, BULLDOGS, CRIMSON, LIONS, QUAKERS and TIGERS, plus the spangram SPORTSTEAM.
What was the big word in the November 22, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for November 22, 2025 is SPORTSTEAM, 10 letters long, running from row 1, column 3 to row 8, column 3. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Ivy League” mean?
The Strands theme “Ivy League” for November 22, 2025 means SPORTSTEAM — 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 22, 2025?
Strands puzzle #629 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the November 22, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #629 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 5% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on November 22, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Saturday, November 22, 2025 is #629, 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.