#859Friday, July 10, 2026
Strands answers for July 10, 2026 — “I think ...” (#859)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 10, 2026 (puzzle #859) is WECANMAKEIT, a 11-letter answer to the theme "I think ...". The 7 theme words are BELIEVE, GOOD, HASTE, HISTORY, LOVE, MERRY and SENSE.
Where is each answer on the July 10 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #859 is 7 theme words and one spangram.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BELIEVE | 7 | row 7, column 2 | row 7, column 6 | left to right |
| GOOD | 4 | row 6, column 3 | row 7, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| HASTE | 5 | row 2, column 2 | row 2, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| HISTORY | 7 | row 8, column 1 | row 4, column 2 | bottom to top |
| LOVE | 4 | row 2, column 5 | row 2, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| MERRY | 5 | row 5, column 3 | row 5, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| SENSE | 5 | row 3, column 4 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| WECANMAKEIT | 11 | row 1, column 1 | row 6, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the July 10 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #859 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
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 W-E-C-V-O-E, row 2 reads E-H-A-E-L-S, row 3 reads T-A-N-S-E-N, row 4 reads S-Y-M-A-K-E, row 5 reads T-R-M-R-Y-I, row 6 reads S-O-G-E-R-T, row 7 reads I-B-O-O-D-E, and row 8 reads H-E-L-I-E-V.
How hard was the July 10 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #859 as easy: it sits at the 2th percentile of every Strands grid to date.
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 July 10 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #859 was edited by Tracy Bennett, who also constructed it. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the July 10 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 10, 2026?
The Strands clue for July 10, 2026 is “I think ...”, on puzzle #859. It is answered by the spangram WECANMAKEIT, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 10, 2026?
The 7 Strands theme words for July 10, 2026 are BELIEVE, GOOD, HASTE, HISTORY, LOVE, MERRY and SENSE, plus the spangram WECANMAKEIT.
What was the big word in the July 10, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 10, 2026 is WECANMAKEIT, 11 letters long, running from row 1, column 1 to row 6, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “I think ...” mean?
The Strands theme “I think ...” for July 10, 2026 means WECANMAKEIT — 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 July 10, 2026?
Strands puzzle #859 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 10, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #859 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 2% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 10, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Friday, July 10, 2026 is #859, 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 July 2026, part of the full Strands archive.