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NYT Strands game #518 for Sunday, August 3, 2025, has the theme “Sorry, didn’t catch that.” If you want to avoid spoilers, start with the theme and clue words below; the spangram and complete answer list follow.
What is the theme for NYT Strands #518?
The theme is “Sorry, didn’t catch that.” The answers are sports mistakes and mishaps. TechRadar, Try Hard Guides, and Parade list the same theme and answer set.
Clue words to earn in-game hints
Find these non-theme words in the grid to earn hints that highlight letters in theme answers:
- TROLL
- STROBE
- FORT
- ROOF
- TURF
- STOP
What is the spangram?
The spangram is SPORTSGOOF, a 10-letter answer. TechRadar’s spoiler-light location clue says it begins on the left side at row 5 and ends on the right side at row 6.
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What is the Strands answer today?
The seven other theme words, in TechRadar’s listed order, are:
- MUFF
- WHIFF
- ERROR
- FAULT
- FUMBLE
- BOBBLE
- BLOOPER
Strands is a word-search-style game: find theme words in the letter grid, while the spangram describes the theme and connects two opposite sides of the board.
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