NYT Strands Hints and Answers for Friday, November 28, 2025 (#635)

Today’s NYT Strands theme is “If all else fails …”. Start with the hints below if you’re still solving; the answer list and spangram are farther down, behind a spoiler warning. This is puzzle #635, dated Friday, November 28, 2025.

Hints for Strands #635

1. Theme clue: “If all else fails …”

2. A nudge: Think about what you do after blowing out birthday candles.

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   2		Huge Book of Large Print Word Search: 9000 Words - 224 Puzzles - Varied Themes - Big Print Word...	$6.99	Buy on Amazon
   3		New Word Search Book for Adults: Large Print Word Find Puzzles for Seniors with 10000 Unique Words,...	$9.99	Buy on Amazon
   4		KAPPA Super Saver LARGE PRINT Word Search Puzzle Pack - (Pack of 6) Full Size Books	$15.99	Buy on Amazon
   5		Large Print Word Search Puzzles Volume 2: Over 200 Puzzles to Complete with Solutions - Include...	$9.31	Buy on Amazon

3. Spangram path: It has nine letters. It runs from the right edge at row three to the left edge at row six.

4. Optional hint words: SHOW, TIDY, BUGLE, SLEW, WEAK, LAKE.

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   Big Book of Large Print Word Search Puzzles: 5000 Words - 224 Themed Puzzles - For Adults, Seniors, and Teens (Large Print Puzzle Gifts for Men and Women)

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For context, Strands is a word-search-style puzzle played on a 6-by-8 grid; letters can connect horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Yahoo Tech reports that finding three non-theme words of at least four letters earns a hint. Theme answers are highlighted blue and the spangram yellow, according to AOL’s summary of the game rules.

Answers for Strands #635

Spoiler warning: The complete answer key follows.

Theme words

• COIN
• FOUNTAIN
• LADYBUG
• STAR
• DANDELION
• EYELASH

Spangram

MAKEAWISH

The answer list and spangram are reported by TechRadar, Yahoo Tech, and AOL/Parade.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1

Big Book of Large Print Word Search Puzzles: 5000 Words - 224 Themed Puzzles - For Adults, Seniors, and Teens (Large Print Puzzle Gifts for Men and Women)

$4.99

Bestseller No. 2

Huge Book of Large Print Word Search: 9000 Words - 224 Puzzles - Varied Themes - Big Print Word Finds For Adults, Seniors, and Teens (Large Print Puzzle Gifts for Men and Women)

$6.99

Bestseller No. 3

New Word Search Book for Adults: Large Print Word Find Puzzles for Seniors with 10000 Unique Words, Endless Themes to Explore

$9.99

Bestseller No. 4

KAPPA Super Saver LARGE PRINT Word Search Puzzle Pack - (Pack of 6) Full Size Books

$15.99

SaleBestseller No. 5

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$9.31

Best Value

Sale

Large Print Word Search Puzzles Volume 2: Over 200 Puzzles to Complete with Solutions - Include Spiral Bound / Lay Flat Design and Large to Extra-Large Font for Word Finds (Brain Busters)

$9.31

Buy on Amazon

Rank #4

KAPPA Super Saver LARGE PRINT Word Search Puzzle Pack - (Pack of 6) Full Size Books

$15.99

Buy on Amazon

Rank #3

New Word Search Book for Adults: Large Print Word Find Puzzles for Seniors with 10000 Unique Words, Endless Themes to Explore

$9.99

Buy on Amazon

Rank #2

Huge Book of Large Print Word Search: 9000 Words - 224 Puzzles - Varied Themes - Big Print Word Finds For Adults, Seniors, and Teens (Large Print Puzzle Gifts for Men and Women)

$6.99

Buy on Amazon

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