Today’s NYT Strands leaned into purposeful pups with the theme “Paw Patrol.” The grid featured several types of helpful dogs and a spangram that tied them together. If you struggled with the diagonals or the job-specific terminology, you’ll find everything you need below.

17 November 2025 NYT Strands Theme: “Paw Patrol”

This theme celebrated the many real-world roles dogs take on to assist humans — from guidance to protection to search work. The puzzle balanced shorter job terms with slightly longer ones and included a spangram that neatly unified the entire concept. A straightforward yet satisfying solve.

17 November 2025 NYT Strands: Hints

  • Think about canine roles that involve supporting, helping, or protecting people.
  • Look for words that describe formal working titles rather than casual traits.
  • Several answers relate to safety or assistance in daily life.
  • Expect a couple of job types you might see in emergency or outdoor situations.
  • The spangram ties these roles together under a single category of task-oriented pups.

17 November 2025 NYT Strands: Answers

  • THERAPY
  • GUIDE
  • GUARD
  • SERVICE
  • HERDING
  • RESCUE

Spangram

WORKING DOGS
A clean, cohesive spangram connecting all the job-related canine roles in the puzzle, running across the grid to emphasize how these different tasks form one larger category.

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!

This puzzle had 7 theme words.

Tips to become a NYT Strands pro

  1. Start with obvious words. Look for clear connections to the theme first.
  2. Scan diagonals early. Strands loves to hide words at an angle.
  3. Build around found words. Once one word is cleared, the leftover letters often point to the next.
  4. Use hints wisely. Earn them steadily by spotting extra words, then save them for when you’re truly stuck.
  5. Think about synonyms. The theme clue isn’t always literal — broaden your thinking.

Final Thoughts

Today’s puzzle played as a friendly, slightly brainy theme — accessible but rewarding if you scanned diagonals and thought beyond just clothing. How many did you find, and did the cellophane clue catch you by surprise?