The New York Times Strands puzzle for Friday, July 26, 2024, was game #145. Its theme clue was “Go for the gold.” Start with the hints below, then stop at the spoiler warning if you want to solve it yourself.
How to solve the July 26 Strands puzzle
Use these clues in order, from a light nudge to the complete answer set.
Theme clue
“Go for the gold.” The clue points to a major international sports competition.
Spangram hint
The spangram means “the games.” TechRadar reported that it starts at the left edge on row six and ends at the right edge on row two. See TechRadar’s guide to puzzle #145.
Words for unlocking in-game hints
If you want to use Strands’ hint system, the clue words reported for this puzzle are SWAG, SWAM, QUEST, SQUARE, STARE, and SCARE. WordHint describes the general rule as earning one hint for every three non-theme words of at least four letters; this is an archive guide’s description, not an official NYT rules page. See WordHint’s July 26 archive.
Full answers for Strands #145
Spoiler warning: The complete answers are below.
- TRACK
- SWIMMING
- KARATE
- GOLF
- EQUESTRIAN
- ARCHERY
Spangram: OLYMPICS
Why the theme fits
Each theme word names a sport represented at the Olympics. The puzzle appeared on July 26, 2024, the day the Paris 2024 Olympic Games officially began, which made “Go for the gold” especially timely. That is context for the original puzzle date, not a current-event update.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to know about the board
WordHint’s archive describes Strands as a 6-by-8 grid of 48 letters, with theme words that do not overlap and a spangram that touches opposite sides of the board. Those are general mechanics as described by the archive; neither cited page is an official NYT rules source. The available answer guides do not provide a verified letter-by-letter trace, so the row-and-edge hint is the extent of the documented placement detail here.
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