NYT Strands hints, answers for November 23, 2025
In today’s edition of the New York Times Strands, the engaging word-search game challenges players with a sweet theme that revolves around junk food. Strands offers a unique twist on traditional word searches, allowing players to connect letters in various directions—up, down, left, right, or even diagonally. This flexibility in word formation means that players can create words that take quirky shapes and patterns throughout the grid. Unlike other popular games from the NYT, such as Wordle or Connections, Strands introduces a level of complexity by requiring players to decipher an opaque hint while working without a predefined word list. This makes for a more brain-teasing experience that can take a bit longer to complete, catering to those who enjoy a deeper challenge in their gaming.
Today’s theme, “Sweet Tooth,” invites players to explore a world of sugary delights, with words associated with beloved sweet snacks. The spangram for this puzzle, which is a special word or phrase that encapsulates the theme and spans the entire grid, is “Candy Aisle,” cleverly placed in a vertical orientation. The word list for today includes popular treats such as Nerds, Starburst, Runts, Whatchamacallit, and Dots, all of which evoke nostalgic memories of childhood snacking. The combination of a fun theme and the challenge of finding all the words makes this Strands puzzle a delightful way to engage with language and reminisce about favorite sugary indulgences.
For players who may feel overwhelmed or pressed for time, the NYT provides hints to help navigate through the puzzle at their own pace. This feature is particularly useful for those who may want to savor the experience without the pressure of racing against the clock. Additionally, for those seeking more gaming options, Mashable offers a variety of other daily online games, including Mahjong, Sudoku, and free crosswords, ensuring that there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Whether you’re a seasoned puzzle enthusiast or a casual snacker, today’s Strands puzzle promises a sweet escape into the world of words.
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re a snacker.
Strands
, the
New York Times
‘ elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There’s always a theme linking every solution, along with the “spangram,” a special, word or phrase that sums up that day’s theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
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By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like
Wordle
and
Connections
.
If you’re feeling stuck or just don’t have 10 or more minutes to figure out today’s puzzle, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
SEE ALSO:
Wordle today: Answer, hints for November 23, 2025
SEE ALSO:
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for November 23, 2025
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Sweet tooth
The words are related to junk food.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe sweet snacks.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is
Candy Aisle.
NYT Strands word list for November 23
Nerds
Starburst
Runts
Candy Aisle
Whatchamacallit
Dots
Looking for other daily online games?
Mashable’s Games page
has more hints, a
nd if you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now!
Check out our
games hub
for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after?
Here’s the solution to the latest Strands.
