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NYT Strands puzzle #612 for November 5, 2025, has the theme “The butterfly effect.” Its spangram is MONARCHS; the five regular answers are CATERPILLAR, CHRYSALIS, HATCH, MIGRATE, and MILKWEED. Start with the graduated hints below if you want to solve it before seeing the full answer key.
Hints for Strands #612
- Theme: “The butterfly effect.”
- Think of an orange-and-black traveler: its life stages, its long migration, and the host plant its larvae depend on.
- The six non-theme words that earn an in-game hint are LIAR, HOME, DEAN, CHIA, GREAT, and CLASSIC.
- The eight-letter spangram runs from the left edge to the right edge of the board on row 7.
- Spangram: MONARCHS.
All answers for November 5, 2025
- CATERPILLAR
- CHRYSALIS
- HATCH
- MIGRATE
- MILKWEED
- Spangram: MONARCHS
How the theme fits together
The entries trace connected parts of the monarch butterfly story: CATERPILLAR and CHRYSALIS name stages of its development, HATCH refers to emergence from an egg, MIGRATE points to the monarch’s seasonal journey, and MILKWEED is the host plant on which monarchs lay eggs and caterpillars feed. MONARCHS ties the set together as the spangram.
How to trace the words
In Strands, letters in a word can be traced in any direction, but a path cannot reuse or cross letters. The spangram touches opposite sides of the board. Finding three non-theme words earns an in-game hint.
Quick Recap
Rank #3
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