NYT Strands, the daily word-search puzzle from the New York Times, returned today with a theme titled “Group membership”. This grid focused on collective nouns for animals, all tied together with a clever spangram running across the board.
30 November 2025 NYT Strands Theme: “Group membership”
Today’s theme celebrated the fascinating vocabulary of animal groups. The puzzle leaned into collective nouns—those unique terms that name gatherings of specific creatures. The placement of each item required careful scanning, but the theme felt engaging and educational.
30 November 2025 NYT Strands: Hints
- Think about the special names we give to groups of animals.
- Look for terms describing specific animal gatherings that are commonly used in wildlife trivia.
- Several answers are short and memorable, but easy to overlook when curved through the grid.
- Expect names of animal collectives—from colonies of insects to herds of mammals.
- The spangram ties the entire grid together with a phrase about collective action and unity.
- Try checking the diagonals and curved paths—this puzzle loves to hide words at angles.
30 November 2025 NYT Strands: Answers
- ants
- army
- cows
- flock
- geese
- herd
- lions
- pride
Spangram
Init together
A perfect phrase that unifies all the theme words—each answer represents one of the classic collective nouns for groups of animals brought together.
How Strands works
Strands is a daily word search puzzle with a twist:
- You’re given a theme.
- The grid is packed with hidden words tied to that theme.
- Words can run in any direction, including diagonals.
- Once you find all the theme words, you’re done!
Each puzzle usually has around 6–8 theme words.
Tips to become a NYT Strands pro
- Start with obvious words. Look for clear connections to the theme first.
- Scan diagonals early. Strands loves to hide words at an angle.
- Build around found words. Once one word is cleared, the leftover letters often point to the next.
- Use hints wisely. Earn them steadily by spotting extra words, then save them for when you’re truly stuck.
- Think about synonyms. The theme clue isn’t always literal—broaden your thinking about animal groupings.
Final Thoughts
Today’s puzzle offered an engaging challenge with a theme that felt both educational and fun. The vocabulary was approachable, yet the grid layout required sharp scanning to uncover each collective noun. The spangram provided a satisfying anchor point once the individual animal groups started clicking into place. How many did you uncover on your own?
Shashwat
Senior tech reporter and reviewer at Nerd’s Chalk, Shashwat spends his idle hours reading classics, writing fiction, smashing Xbox controllers, or playing Jackson guitars.
