NYT Strands Hints and Answers for July 23, 2024 (Puzzle #142)

NYT Strands puzzle #142, dated Tuesday, July 23, 2024, has the theme clue “You’re the best!” Its spangram is CHAMPION, and the five theme words are EXCELLENT, ICONIC, PERFECT, SUPERLATIVE, and SUPREME.

Hints for Strands puzzle #142

Use these in order if you want a nudge before seeing the full answer key:

#	Preview	Product	Price
1		Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! (New York Times Games Books)	$26.10	Buy on Amazon
2		The New York Times Strictly Medium Crossword Puzzles Volume 1: 200 Medium Puzzles	$7.75	Buy on Amazon
3		New York Times Games Monday Through Friday 50 Easy to Tough Crossword Puzzles Volume 10 (New York...	$8.48	Buy on Amazon
4		The New York Times Monday Through Friday Easy to Tough Crossword Puzzles: 50 Puzzles from the Pages...	$13.98	Buy on Amazon
5		The New York Times Mini Crosswords, Volume 1: 150 Easy Fun-Sized Puzzles	$9.15	Buy on Amazon

1. Theme clue: “You’re the best!”
2. Spangram clue: Winner.
3. Possible words to find for an in-game hint: SLUR, SLURP, MUST, STUMP, PICNIC, or EXCITE. Finding a valid non-answer word fills the hint bar, according to ComingSoon’s guide.
4. Reported spangram endpoints: The path starts on the right side at row six and ends on the left side at row four.

Full answers for July 23, 2024

Warning: spoilers below.

• EXCELLENT
• ICONIC
• PERFECT
• SUPERLATIVE
• SUPREME
• Spangram: CHAMPION

TechRadar and ComingSoon published the solution on July 22, 2024, ahead of the Tuesday puzzle date. WordsRated’s Strands archive independently confirms the clue, five theme words, and spangram.

How the theme fits

The theme words are positive descriptors associated with a champion: excellent, iconic, perfect, superlative, and supreme. TechRadar’s writer called this puzzle easy, but that is an individual assessment rather than an official or measured difficulty rating.

#1 Best Overall

Sale

Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! (New York Times Games Books)

$26.10

Buy on Amazon

How Strands hints work

ComingSoon describes the board as an 8-by-6 grid and says that finding other valid words fills a bar that reveals the locations of an answer’s letters. The six possible clue words above are reported for this puzzle; they are not additional theme answers.

Quick Recap

SaleBestseller No. 1

Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! (New York Times Games Books)

$26.10

SaleBestseller No. 2

The New York Times Strictly Medium Crossword Puzzles Volume 1: 200 Medium Puzzles

$7.75

SaleBestseller No. 3

New York Times Games Monday Through Friday 50 Easy to Tough Crossword Puzzles Volume 10 (New York Times Super Sunday Crosswords, 10)

$8.48

SaleBestseller No. 4

The New York Times Monday Through Friday Easy to Tough Crossword Puzzles: 50 Puzzles from the Pages of The New York Times (New York Times Crossword Puzzles)

$13.98

SaleBestseller No. 5

The New York Times Mini Crosswords, Volume 1: 150 Easy Fun-Sized Puzzles

$9.15

Best Value

Sale

The New York Times Mini Crosswords, Volume 1: 150 Easy Fun-Sized Puzzles

$9.15

Buy on Amazon

Rank #4

Sale

The New York Times Monday Through Friday Easy to Tough Crossword Puzzles: 50 Puzzles from the Pages of The New York Times (New York Times Crossword Puzzles)

$13.98

Buy on Amazon

Rank #3

Sale

New York Times Games Monday Through Friday 50 Easy to Tough Crossword Puzzles Volume 10 (New York Times Super Sunday Crosswords, 10)

$8.48

Buy on Amazon

Rank #2

Sale

The New York Times Strictly Medium Crossword Puzzles Volume 1: 200 Medium Puzzles

$7.75

Buy on Amazon

Sources

• TechRadar: “NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Tuesday, July 23 (game #142),” July 22, 2024.
• ComingSoon: “Strands July 23, 2024 Answers & Theme,” July 22, 2024.
• WordsRated: NYT Strands archive.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.