#860Saturday, July 11, 2026
Strands answers for July 11, 2026 — “Fishy fare” (#860)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 11, 2026 (puzzle #860) is CASSEROLE, a 9-letter answer to the theme "Fishy fare". The 8 theme words are CHEESE, MILK, NOODLES, PEAS, PEPPER, SALT, SOUP and TUNA.
Where is each answer on the July 11 Strands board?
Strands #860 resolves to these 8 theme words plus the spangram CASSEROLE.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHEESE | 6 | row 8, column 2 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| MILK | 4 | row 7, column 5 | row 8, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| NOODLES | 7 | row 5, column 2 | row 4, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| PEAS | 4 | row 1, column 2 | row 2, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| PEPPER | 6 | row 4, column 5 | row 1, column 6 | bottom to top |
| SALT | 4 | row 4, column 4 | row 1, column 5 | bottom to top |
| SOUP | 4 | row 6, column 6 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| TUNA | 4 | row 2, column 3 | row 2, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| CASSEROLE | 9 | row 5, column 1 | row 5, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the July 11 Strands grid look like?
The grid below is six letters wide and eight rows deep, with every answer traced through the letters it uses.
Spangram — 9 letters8 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 E-P-U-N-T-R, row 2 reads S-A-T-A-L-E, row 3 reads L-D-O-A-P-E, row 4 reads S-E-O-S-P-P, row 5 reads C-N-E-L-O-R, row 6 reads E-A-S-S-E-S, row 7 reads S-E-L-I-M-O, and row 8 reads E-C-H-K-U-P.
How hard was the July 11 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #860 as easy: it sits at the 10th 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 11 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #860 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 July 11 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 11, 2026?
The Strands clue for July 11, 2026 is “Fishy fare”, on puzzle #860. It is answered by the spangram CASSEROLE, and all 8 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 11, 2026?
The 8 Strands theme words for July 11, 2026 are CHEESE, MILK, NOODLES, PEAS, PEPPER, SALT, SOUP and TUNA, plus the spangram CASSEROLE.
What was the big word in the July 11, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 11, 2026 is CASSEROLE, 9 letters long, running from row 5, column 1 to row 5, column 3. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Fishy fare” mean?
The Strands theme “Fishy fare” for July 11, 2026 means CASSEROLE — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 8 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands July 11, 2026?
Strands puzzle #860 has 8 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 11, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #860 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 10% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 11, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Saturday, July 11, 2026 is #860, 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.