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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →For the Friday, August 8, 2025, NYT Strands puzzle (#523), the theme clue is “Kings of swing and bebop.” The spangram has eight letters and runs from the bottom edge in column three to the top edge in column four. Spoilers follow: first the spangram, then all seven theme answers.
What is the August 8 Strands spangram?
The spangram is JAZZ CATS (often written as JAZZCATS). It spans the grid from the bottom edge at column three to the top edge at column four. TechRadar’s August 8 guide gives the position and the full solution.
What are all the Strands answers today?
The seven theme answers are CANNONBALL, COUNT, DIZZY, DUKE, FATS, HAWK, and YARDBIRD. Together with JAZZ CATS, they point to jazz musicians and the nicknames associated with them.
| Answer | Jazz connection |
|---|---|
| CANNONBALL | Cannonball Adderley, the saxophonist. |
| COUNT | Count Basie, the pianist and bandleader. |
| DIZZY | Dizzy Gillespie, the trumpeter and bandleader. |
| DUKE | Duke Ellington, the pianist and composer. |
| FATS | Fats Domino, the pianist and singer. |
| HAWK | Coleman Hawkins’s nickname. |
| YARDBIRD | Charlie Parker’s nickname. |
The references are not all the same kind: several answers use familiar forms of musicians’ names, while HAWK and YARDBIRD are nicknames. The same answer set is corroborated by Strands Solution and WordsRated.
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Which words unlock the in-game hints?
Finding these six non-theme words unlocks hints in the game:
- HARD
- DUETS
- STAIR
- WARD
- FATE
- SAFE
These hint-unlocking words are separate from the seven theme answers and the spangram.
Quick Recap
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Rank #3
How to use the clues before viewing the full solve
- Start spoiler-light: Use “Kings of swing and bebop” to look for jazz-related names and nicknames.
- Use the path clue: If you need more help, the eight-letter spangram starts at the bottom edge in column three and finishes at the top edge in column four.
- Reveal the complete solve: The spangram and answer list above give the full solution for puzzle #523.
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