#620Thursday, November 13, 2025
Strands answers for November 13, 2025 — “Out, damned spot!” (#620)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for November 13, 2025 (puzzle #620) is STAINREMOVAL, a 12-letter answer to the theme "Out, damned spot!". The 7 theme words are BLEACH, BLOT, LAUNDER, SCRUB, SOAK, SPRAY and STEAM.
Where is each answer on the November 13 Strands board?
Strands #620 resolves to these 7 theme words plus the spangram STAINREMOVAL.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 8 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLEACH | 6 | row 7, column 6 | row 5, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| BLOT | 4 | row 6, column 1 | row 5, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| LAUNDER | 7 | row 7, column 3 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| SCRUB | 5 | row 1, column 5 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| SOAK | 4 | row 5, column 4 | row 4, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| SPRAY | 5 | row 2, column 1 | row 3, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| STEAM | 5 | row 8, column 6 | row 6, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| STAINREMOVAL | 12 | row 4, column 1 | row 4, column 6 | left to right |
What did the November 13 Strands grid look like?
The grid below is six letters wide and eight rows deep, with every answer traced through the letters it uses.
Spangram — 12 letters7 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads P-R-R-E-S-C, row 2 reads S-A-N-M-R-U, row 3 reads Y-A-I-O-V-B, row 4 reads S-T-K-A-A-L, row 5 reads L-T-O-S-H-C, row 6 reads B-O-A-M-A-E, row 7 reads R-U-L-A-L-B, and row 8 reads E-D-N-E-T-S.
How hard was the November 13 Strands puzzle?
Strands #620 scores above average on our difficulty index, harder than 56% of every Strands puzzle published so far.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the November 13 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #620 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Sam Corbin. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the November 13 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on November 13, 2025?
The Strands clue for November 13, 2025 is “Out, damned spot!”, on puzzle #620. It is answered by the spangram STAINREMOVAL, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on November 13, 2025?
The 7 Strands theme words for November 13, 2025 are BLEACH, BLOT, LAUNDER, SCRUB, SOAK, SPRAY and STEAM, plus the spangram STAINREMOVAL.
What was the big word in the November 13, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for November 13, 2025 is STAINREMOVAL, 12 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 4, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Out, damned spot!” mean?
The Strands theme “Out, damned spot!” for November 13, 2025 means STAINREMOVAL — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 7 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands November 13, 2025?
Strands puzzle #620 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the November 13, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #620 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 56% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on November 13, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, November 13, 2025 is #620, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in November 2025, part of the full Strands archive.