#517Saturday, August 2, 2025
Strands answers for August 2, 2025 — “Pretty as a picture” (#517)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for August 2, 2025 (puzzle #517) is PHOTOEDITOR, a 11-letter answer to the theme "Pretty as a picture". The 7 theme words are ADJUST, BLUR, CROP, ERASE, FILTER, MARKUP and ROTATE.
Where is each answer on the August 2 Strands board?
Here are all 7 theme words from the August 2, 2025 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 8 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADJUST | 6 | row 5, column 5 | row 7, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| BLUR | 4 | row 5, column 3 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| CROP | 4 | row 8, column 3 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| ERASE | 5 | row 8, column 6 | row 7, column 2 | right to left |
| FILTER | 6 | row 3, column 4 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| MARKUP | 6 | row 1, column 4 | row 1, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| ROTATE | 6 | row 3, column 5 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| PHOTOEDITOR | 11 | row 6, column 1 | row 6, column 5 | left to right |
What did the August 2 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 8 words tile all 48 cells of the August 2, 2025 grid.
Spangram — 11 letters7 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads R-P-K-M-T-A, row 2 reads E-U-R-A-O-T, row 3 reads T-L-I-F-R-E, row 4 reads O-T-O-E-D-I, row 5 reads H-L-B-D-A-T, row 6 reads P-R-U-J-R-O, row 7 reads P-E-S-U-S-T, and row 8 reads O-R-C-A-R-E.
How hard was the August 2 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #517 comes out easy, ahead of 5% of them.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the August 2 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #517 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Christina Iverson. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the August 2 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on August 2, 2025?
The Strands clue for August 2, 2025 is “Pretty as a picture”, on puzzle #517. It is answered by the spangram PHOTOEDITOR, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on August 2, 2025?
The 7 Strands theme words for August 2, 2025 are ADJUST, BLUR, CROP, ERASE, FILTER, MARKUP and ROTATE, plus the spangram PHOTOEDITOR.
What was the big word in the August 2, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for August 2, 2025 is PHOTOEDITOR, 11 letters long, running from row 6, column 1 to row 6, column 5. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Pretty as a picture” mean?
The Strands theme “Pretty as a picture” for August 2, 2025 means PHOTOEDITOR — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 7 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands August 2, 2025?
Strands puzzle #517 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the August 2, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #517 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 5% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on August 2, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Saturday, August 2, 2025 is #517, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in August 2025, part of the full Strands archive.