#628Friday, November 21, 2025
Strands answers for November 21, 2025 — “Heard at the board meeting” (#628)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for November 21, 2025 (puzzle #628) is CORPORATESPEAK, a 14-letter answer to the theme "Heard at the board meeting". The 6 theme words are ALIGN, DISRUPT, IDEATE, LIAISE, PIVOT and SCALE.
Where is each answer on the November 21 Strands board?
Strands #628 resolves to these 6 theme words plus the spangram CORPORATESPEAK.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALIGN | 5 | row 2, column 4 | row 4, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| DISRUPT | 7 | row 4, column 2 | row 2, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| IDEATE | 6 | row 6, column 1 | row 8, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| LIAISE | 6 | row 1, column 1 | row 1, column 6 | left to right |
| PIVOT | 5 | row 6, column 6 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| SCALE | 5 | row 7, column 2 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| CORPORATESPEAK | 14 | row 5, column 1 | row 4, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the November 21 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 — 14 letters6 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 L-I-A-I-S-E, row 2 reads U-P-T-A-L-I, row 3 reads R-I-A-E-P-G, row 4 reads S-D-K-S-E-N, row 5 reads C-O-R-P-T-A, row 6 reads I-E-L-O-R-P, row 7 reads D-S-C-A-I-V, and row 8 reads E-A-T-E-O-T.
How hard was the November 21 Strands puzzle?
Strands #628 scores easy on our difficulty index, harder than 3% 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 21 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #628 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 21 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on November 21, 2025?
The Strands clue for November 21, 2025 is “Heard at the board meeting”, on puzzle #628. It is answered by the spangram CORPORATESPEAK, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on November 21, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for November 21, 2025 are ALIGN, DISRUPT, IDEATE, LIAISE, PIVOT and SCALE, plus the spangram CORPORATESPEAK.
What was the big word in the November 21, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for November 21, 2025 is CORPORATESPEAK, 14 letters long, running from row 5, column 1 to row 4, column 3. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Heard at the board meeting” mean?
The Strands theme “Heard at the board meeting” for November 21, 2025 means CORPORATESPEAK — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands November 21, 2025?
Strands puzzle #628 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the November 21, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #628 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 3% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on November 21, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Friday, November 21, 2025 is #628, 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.