NYT Strands Answer Today (Nov 22, 2025) #629 – Hints & Guide

Written by Anish – TechBoltX | Nov 22, 2025

NYT Strands Hints & Answers for Nov. 22, 2025 (#629)

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle brings a fun and competitive theme: Ivy League. If you’re familiar with college sports—or simply the mascots of America’s oldest universities—this puzzle may feel straightforward. But several of the mascot names are long, tricky to spell, or easy to miss among the letter grid, making this a moderately challenging Strands to complete.

Strands continues its popular format: uncover words that fit a theme while also hunting for a long spangram running across the board. To unlock hints, players must first find any three four-letter words. For today’s puzzle, clue words like SEAT, BEATS, STAR, POUR, and BLUR help trigger in-game hints, but any valid set of three will do.

If you’re stuck or simply want to check your work, here’s the full breakdown.

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💡 Today’s Strands Theme

Theme: Ivy League
Clue: Academics meets athletics.

This points directly to the mascots representing the eight Ivy League colleges.

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🟦 Today’s Strands Answers (Non-Spangram)

• BEARS – Brown University
• LIONS – Columbia University
• TIGERS – Princeton University
• QUAKERS – University of Pennsylvania
• CRIMSON – Harvard University
• BULLDOGS – Yale University

These represent six of the eight Ivy League schools.

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⭐ Today’s Spangram

SPORTSTEAM

Start at the S, three letters to the right in the top row, then wind downward.

A fitting spangram since the entire puzzle revolves around college sports identity.

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❓ FAQs

1. What is today’s NYT Strands theme?

The theme is Ivy League, focusing on college mascots.

2. What is today’s Strands spangram?

The spangram is SPORTSTEAM.

3. How many non-spangram answers are there today?

There are six theme words.

4. Are all Ivy League schools included?

Most mascots appear, but not all eight.

5. How do I unlock hints in Strands?

Find three four-letter words anywhere on the board.

✍️ Author Bio

Anish is a puzzle analyst specializing in NYT Strands, Wordle, Connections, Mini Crossword, and Sports Edition puzzles. With 5+ years of word-game strategy experience, he provides accurate daily guides trusted by thousands of readers.