NYT Strands Hints & Answers for July 7 (Game #491)

Sachin Chauhan

February 15, 2025

Strands fans, gather around! 🎉 The New York Times’ latest word game is making waves, and if you’re here, you might be looking for a little help with today’s puzzle. No worries—I’ve got hints, clues, and even the answers (if you need them).

Want more word fun? Check out my NYT Connections and Quordle pages for hints and answers for those games. And if you still need to solve today’s Wordle, Check Wordle Hints and Answer!


🚨 SPOILER WARNING 🚨

NYT Strands hints and answers are just below! If you’re still working on today’s puzzle and don’t want any spoilers, stop scrolling now!

NYT Strands #491, July 7, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Today’s theme is Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh.
  • Here are some clue words to start with Hide, Sock, Coal, Slump, Duel, Plank.
  • Today’s Spangram has 10 letters.
  • Spangram starts from Top row fifth column to last row 3rd column.

How many letters does today’s Spangram have?

Today’s spangram has 10 letters.

How many words does today’s NYT Strands have?

Today’s NYT Starnds answers contain 6 words + Spangram.

Answers:

  • BUNK
  • LAKE
  • FLAGPOLE
  • CANTEEN
  • LODGE
  • FIELDHOUSE
  • SPANGRAM: SUMMER CAMP

NYT Strands #490, July 6, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: My hero!
  • Clue Words: Spore, Girl, Prow, Swill, Bill, Feud.
  • Spangram has 10 letters.
  • Spangram starts from down to up, from last row 4th column to first row 5th column.
NYT Strands Hints & Answers
NYT Strands Hints & Answers

Answers:

  • STRENGTH
  • SPEED
  • FLIGHT
  • INVISIBILITY
  • HEALING
  • SPANGRAM: SUPERPOWER

NYT Strands #489, July 5, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: Every second counts
  • Clue Words: Person, Home, Root, Shake, Swoon, Mate.
  • Spangram has 11 letters.
  • Spangram start in 4th row 1st column and end in 6th row 3rd column.

Answers:

  • CLOCK
  • WATCH
  • CHRONOMETER
  • HOURGLASS
  • SUNDIAL
  • SPANGRAM: TIMEKEEPERS

NYT Strands #488, July 4, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: Let’s have a picnic!.
  • Clue Words: Barn, Lore, Bugs, Star, Trace, Snore.
  • Spangram has 8 letters
  • Spangram star in 1st row 4th column and ends in last row and 4th column.

Answers:

  • BURGERS
  • SALAD
  • COLESLAW
  • BRATS
  • BEANS
  • WATERMELON
  • SPANGRAM: BARBECUE

NYT Strands #487, July 3, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: Beyond vanilla.
  • Clue Words: March, Brown, Bore, Stretch, Scotch, Crown.
  • Spangram has 8 letters
  • Spangram start in 3rd column and ends in 4th column.

Answers:

  • CHERRY
  • COFFEE
  • BUTTERSCOTCH
  • BROWNIE
  • PISTACHIO
  • SPANGRAM: ICE CREAM

NYT Strands #486, July 2, 2025 — Hints & Answers

🐦 Theme: “This is for the birds”

Think materials that birds use to build or line their nests.

🧩 Spangram

A long phrase that stretches across the grid: NESTINGMATERIAL

✅ Theme Words (7 total):

  • LEAF
  • WOOL
  • TWIG
  • MOSS
  • FLUFF
  • GRASS
  • FEATHER

NYT Strands #485, July 1, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Spangram (13 letters)

The long connecting word that spans opposite edges is AMUSEMENTPARK.

Hints & Theme Words

  • Theme: It’s all about the center of attraction—picture the hub of a funfair or carnival.
  • Words included:
    • SLIDE – that one towering ramp ride.
    • TRAIN – the tiny coaster that runs around the park.
    • CAROUSEL – the classic merry-go-round.
    • FUNHOUSE – filled with silly mirrors and odd floors.
    • SCRAMBLER – that fast, spinning whirl ride.

How It Usually Plays Out

  1. Spotting SLIDE early in one corner lights things up.
  2. Fleshing in FUNHOUSE tends to reinforce the festival vibe.
  3. The other rides—TRAIN, CAROUSEL, SCRAMBLER—fill out the rest, each tied to that fairground theme.
  4. Finally, the long AMUSEMENTPARK spangram links it all together across the grid.

NYT Strands #483, June 29, 2025 — Hints & Answers

🧩 Theme:

Hue Are My Sunshine – colors found together in rainbows.

🔍 Hints

  • Think of the visible light spectrum you often see after rain.
  • You’ll find 6 color words hidden in the grid.

✨ Spangram

CHASING RAINBOWS (15 letters, spans left to right across row 6)

Theme Words

  • BLUE
  • GREEN
  • VIOLET
  • YELLOW
  • INDIGO
  • ORANGE

NYT Strands #482, June 28, 2025 — Hints & Answers

🧩 Theme:

Items That Often Need Power

🔍 Hints

  • The theme revolves around items that are “not included” by default.
  • You’ll want to think of battery-powered devices.
  • The spangram is a two-word phrase, 17 letters long, starting with B and ending with D, that describes something essential to the theme.
  • These theme words may appear in any orientation in the grid—horizontal, vertical, diagonal.

✨ Spangram

BATTERIES REQUIRED

✅ Theme Words

  • TOYS
  • CLOCK
  • CAMERA
  • FLASHLIGHT
  • REMOTE

NYT Strands #481, June 27, 2025 — Hints & Answers

🎯 Theme Hints:

  • The puzzle is all about “tools for a fun day in the sand.”
  • Think of things you use to dig, carry, sift, shape, or move sand—especially at the beach or in a sandbox.
  • The spangram (a key phrase that spans the grid) ties it all together: it’s a two-word phrase related to those sandbox essentials.

🧩 Answers:

  • SHOVEL
  • FUNNEL
  • BUCKET
  • SIFTER
  • RAKE
  • MOLD
  • TRUCK

✨ Spangram: SANDBOX TOYS

NYT Strands #480, June 26, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Today’s theme is Fowl business.
  • These words will help you to get answers correct, Heat, Pages, Mesh, Stir, Grad, Grasp.
  • Spangram has 9 letters.
  • Spangram starts from 5th row first column and ends in 5th row last column.

Answers:

  • TURKEY
  • QUAIL
  • GOOSE
  • PARTRIDGE
  • GROUSE
  • PHEASANT
  • SPANGRAM: GAME BIRDS

NYT Strands #479, June 25, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: Worth the splurge
  • Clue Words: Doom, Scone, Menu, Bend, Fury, Tile.
  • Spangram has 11 letters

Answers:

  • WATCH
  • HANDBAG
  • JEWELRY
  • PERFUME
  • CONVERTIBLE
  • SPANGRAM: LUXURY GOODS

NYT Strands #478, June 24, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: Healthful helpers
  • Clue Words: Tide, Faxes, Seed, Plum, Claim, Stop.
  • Spangram has 11 letters
  • Spangram starts from 1st row 4th column to last row 3rd column.

Answers:

  • FLAXSEED
  • PROBIOTIC
  • CALCIUM
  • ZINC
  • MAGNESIUM
  • SPANGRAM: SUPPLEMENTS

NYT Strands #477, June 23, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: Breaking up the band
  • Clue Words: Page, Tick, Splat, Pram, Sack, Scam.
  • Spangram has 10 letters
  • Spangram answer starts in 5th row in the first column and ends in 5 row last column.

Answers:

  • CHEAP
  • TRICK
  • TALKING
  • HEADS
  • SMASHING
  • PUMPKINS
  • SPANGRAM: ROCK GROUPS

NYT Strands #476, June 22, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: Fragrant abuse.
  • Clue Words: Tire, King, Pens, Small, Sour, Door.
  • Spangram has 10 letters

Answers:

  • SMELLY
  • PUNGENT
  • REEKING
  • FOUL
  • RANK
  • MALODOROUS
  • SPANGRAM: THAT STINKS

NYT Strands #475, June 21, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: Goose eggs
  • Clue Words: Tang, Stag, Darn, Dare, Hating, Thing.
  • Spangram has 11 letters.

Answers:

  • NADA
  • ZERO
  • NOTHING
  • ZILCH
  • ZIPPO
  • NAUGHT
  • BUPKIS
  • SPANGRAM: DIDDLY SQUAT 

NYT Strands #474, June 20, 2025 — Hints & Answers

🧠 Hints

Theme: “Just a dusting”

Think of things that come in powder form — could be used in cooking, hygiene, or even something more explosive. Expect some diversity in the types of powders.

🔍 Hint Clues:

Answers

  • One is used in baking.
  • One helps with diaper rash.
  • One is a spicy condiment.
  • One is often used in makeup.
  • One might be involved in explosions.
  • One is associated with itch relief.
  • And one is the spangram tying all the rest together.

Spangram: POWDERS

Theme Words:

  • BABY
  • BAKING
  • BLASTING
  • CHILI
  • COCOA
  • ITCHING
  • TALCUM

NYT Strands #472, June 18, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: Down Time
  • Clue Words: Chow, Bowl, Howl, Elbow, Loom, Gloom
  • Spangram has 7 letters

Answers:

  • BLUE
  • GLOOMY
  • TEARY
  • DOLEFUL
  • WOEBEGONE
  • MELANCHOLY
  • SPANGRAM: SADNESS

NYT Strands #471, June 17, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme today: Make it work
  • Clue words you can play for hints: CUTE, FIRE, ANGEL, COVEN, TREE, COURT
  • Spangram is two words, mostly horizontal, running from left to right, starting with FI and ending with OUT (totals 6+3 letters)

Answers:

Spangram: FIGURE OUT

  • FINAGLE
  • FINESSE
  • CONTRIVE
  • ENGINEER
  • NEGOTIATE

NYT Strands #470, June 16, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: Key notes.
  • Clue Words: Repeat, Needs, Lice, Sauce, Plate, Clue
  • Spangram has 11 letters

Answers:

  • ETUDE
  • SUITE
  • MINUET
  • NOCTURNE
  • SONATA
  • PRELUDE
  • SPANGRAM: PIANO PIECES

NYT Strands #469, June 15, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: Here’s to him
  • Clue Words: Score, Peach, There, Hail, Prole, Crop.
  • Spangram has 10 letters

Answers:

  • CHALUPA
  • CRAWDAD
  • POPCORN
  • PAPARAZZI
  • POPSICLE
  • SPANGRAM: FATHERS DAY

NYT Strands #468, June 14, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: It’s a banner day
  • Clue Words: Atom, Spite, Glamor, Rail, File, Flashes
  • Spangram has 10 letters

Answers:

  • CROSS
  • MOON
  • TRIANGLE
  • STAR
  • STRIPE
  • CROWN
  • SHIELD
  • SPANGRAM: FLAG SYMBOL

NYT Strands #467, June 13, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: Scattering petals
  • Clue Words: Lazy, Grain, Darn, Dairy, Volte, Daze,
  • Spangram has 11 letters

Answers:

  • ROSE
  • DAISY
  • VIOLET
  • POPPY
  • LILY
  • AZALEA
  • PETUNIA
  • SPANGRAM: FLOWER GIRLS

NYT Strands #466, June 12, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: Gone fishing.
  • Clue Words: Wise, Clone, Been, Scene, Bones, Kerb.
  • Spangram has 9 letters.

Answers:

  • HOOK
  • REEL
  • LURE
  • SWIVEL
  • SCALE
  • SINKER
  • BOBBER
  • SPANGRAM: TACKLE BOX

NYT Strands #464, June 10, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: Mind your manners.
  • Clue Words: Pale, Stop, Trace, Than, Poet, Lips.
  • Spangram has 8 letters

Answers:

  • APOLOGIZE
  • RESPECT
  • SHARE
  • THANK
  • LISTEN
  • CONSIDER
  • SPANGRAM: BE POLITE

NYT Strands #463, June 9, 2025 — Hints & Answers

Hints:

  • Theme: What you see isn’t what you get.
  • Clue Words: Dance, Card, Nose, Cone, Foam, Skids.
  • Spangram has 10 letters

Answers:

  • MASK
  • CAMOUFLAGE
  • DISGUISE
  • CLOAK
  • COVER
  • FACADE
  • SPANGRAM: FALSE FRONT
NYT Strands Today
NYT Strands Today

🧐 What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the newest word game from the New York Times, following hits like Wordle and Connections. It’s finally out of beta, which means it’s here to stay! You can play it on the NYT Games site on both desktop and mobile.

The goal? Find hidden words related to the daily theme by connecting letters in a word search-style grid. And the spangram? That’s the big word that ties the whole puzzle together!


🏆 Strands Strategy Tips

Want to get better at Strands? Try these:

Look for obvious words first – They’ll help unlock hints in the game!
Find the spangram early – It usually reveals the theme and makes spotting other words easier.
Don’t forget diagonal moves – Words can go up, down, left, right, AND diagonally!
Think about the theme – Sometimes the answers are less obvious than you’d think!


Strands is a fun and challenging new way to test your word skills, and today’s puzzle was a slapshot to the brain! 🏒 If you cracked it, well done! If not, no sweat—tomorrow’s another chance to show off your word wizardry.

See you next time for more Strands hints & answers! 🎉 Happy puzzling! 🟦🟩