NYT Strands Hints and Answers for November 20, 2025 (#627)
Spoiler-safe hints for the NYT Strands puzzle of November 20, 2025: the theme clue first, then first letters, word lengths, the spangram, and the full grid.
Stuck on the Strands puzzle of November 20, 2025? Start with the theme, take one rung at a time, and stop as soon as the grid opens up. Nothing below is revealed until you tap it.
Hints for November 20, 2025, one rung at a time
ThemeToday’s theme
Busybody buzz
Start from the clue “Busybody buzz”. Once you see what the 5 theme words have in common, the grid opens up quickly.
Hint 2First letters
Sorted alphabetically, the first letters are G, H, R, R, S. Two of them start with the same letter (R).
Hint 3Word lengths
The theme words are 5, 6, 6, 7 and 11 letters long. The shortest is 5 letters, the longest 11.
SpangramThe spangram
SPREADTHEWORD
It is a single word of 13 letters and it touches two opposite sides of the board.
Starts with S, ends with D.
AnswersAll theme words
- RUMOR5 letters
- GOSSIP6 letters
- REPORT6 letters
- HEARSAY7 letters
- SCUTTLEBUTT11 letters
BoardThe completed grid
Theme wordSpangramEach line follows one word; the small number is that letter’s place in it.