Strands · Hints and answers
Strands hints and answers for Sunday, July 12, 2026
Sunday's Strands board has seven theme words plus a 11-letter spangram, under the NYT clue "In the Big Apple". The ladder below climbs from the theme to the spangram - take one hint at a time.
Hints, in order
Hint 0 of 3Tap to show one hint at a time.
Hint 1 of 3
The NYT clue is "In the Big Apple" - take it literally before you take it sideways. The spangram runs 11 letters and touches opposite sides of the board.
Hint 2 of 3
The seven theme words run 4 to 7 letters (lengths: 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7). Every one of them belongs to the family the clue points at.
Hint 3 of 3
The spangram starts with E and ends with E. It is EMPIRESTATE - find it and the rest of the board falls into place.
Spangram and theme words
The spangram first, then all seven theme words.
SPANGRAM
EMPIRESTATE
BAGELTheme word
BODEGATheme word
BOROUGHTheme word
DELITheme word
STOOPTheme word
SUBWAYTheme word
TAXITheme word
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