For Sunday, November 9, 2025, NYT Strands is game #616. The theme hint is “How enchanting!” If you want to solve it yourself, start with the clues below and stop before the spoiler sections; the spangram and all four theme words follow. November 9, 2024 was a different puzzle, game #251, with different answers.
Today’s NYT Strands theme hint
The theme is “How enchanting!” Forbes gives the extra nudge: “The effect of charisma or witchcraft, perhaps.”
Hints if you’re still solving
Words to try for an in-game hint
TechRadar lists these clue words for earning Strands’ in-game hints: PURE, TRIAD, HATE, SMITE, PACE, CRATE, and DEEP.
Opening letters
Forbes reports these opening-letter pairs in order of first appearance: EN, CH, HY, SP, CA.
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Spangram length and direction
The spangram has 13 letters. TechRadar reports that it runs from the bottom edge at the sixth column to the top edge at the sixth column.
Today’s NYT Strands spangram
CHARMED, I’M SURE is the spangram. On the grid, it appears without spaces or punctuation as CHARMEDIMSURE.
All NYT Strands answers for November 9
The four ordinary theme words are:
- ENTRANCE
- SPELLBIND
- HYPNOTIZE
- CAPTIVATE
Including the spangram, there are five theme entries in all.
How Strands hints work
Strands is a themed word-search puzzle played on a 6×8 grid. An independent rules guide explains that the spangram names the theme and connects opposite edges; ordinary theme words are highlighted blue, while the spangram is yellow. Finding three valid non-theme words of at least four letters unlocks a hint that highlights the letters of an unsolved theme word. See the independent Strands rules explainer.
Why the year matters
“November 9” alone can point to two different Strands puzzles. The answer guides identify the 2025 puzzle as game #616; a separate guide distinguishes the November 9, 2024 puzzle as game #251. The answers above are for 2025, not the earlier date. See DocumentaryTube’s November 9 date distinction.
Sources: TechRadar’s November 9, 2025 answer guide and Forbes’ November 9, 2025 answer guide. The full NYT board was not directly checked; the answer list is consistent across those two guides, and no grid placement beyond TechRadar’s reported spangram endpoints is asserted.
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