#635Friday, November 28, 2025
Strands answers for November 28, 2025 — “If all else fails ...” (#635)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for November 28, 2025 (puzzle #635) is MAKEAWISH, a 9-letter answer to the theme "If all else fails ...". The 6 theme words are COIN, DANDELION, EYELASH, FOUNTAIN, LADYBUG and STAR.
Where is each answer on the November 28 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #635 is 6 theme words and one 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COIN | 4 | row 5, column 2 | row 7, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| DANDELION | 9 | row 2, column 4 | row 1, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| EYELASH | 7 | row 4, column 1 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| FOUNTAIN | 8 | row 8, column 1 | row 8, column 6 | left to right |
| LADYBUG | 7 | row 5, column 5 | row 4, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| STAR | 4 | row 2, column 2 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| MAKEAWISH | 9 | row 3, column 6 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the November 28 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #635 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 9 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 R-N-O-A-N-H, row 2 reads A-S-I-D-D-S, row 3 reads T-Y-L-E-A-M, row 4 reads E-I-E-L-A-G, row 5 reads S-C-W-K-L-U, row 6 reads H-O-A-E-A-B, row 7 reads I-N-N-T-D-Y, and row 8 reads F-O-U-A-I-N.
How hard was the November 28 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #635 as average: it sits at the 38th percentile of every Strands grid to date.
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 28 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #635 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Ella Vance. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the November 28 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on November 28, 2025?
The Strands clue for November 28, 2025 is “If all else fails ...”, on puzzle #635. It is answered by the spangram MAKEAWISH, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on November 28, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for November 28, 2025 are COIN, DANDELION, EYELASH, FOUNTAIN, LADYBUG and STAR, plus the spangram MAKEAWISH.
What was the big word in the November 28, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for November 28, 2025 is MAKEAWISH, 9 letters long, running from row 3, column 6 to row 6, column 1. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “If all else fails ...” mean?
The Strands theme “If all else fails ...” for November 28, 2025 means MAKEAWISH — 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 28, 2025?
Strands puzzle #635 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the November 28, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #635 rates average on a computed index, harder than 38% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on November 28, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Friday, November 28, 2025 is #635, 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.