#864Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Strands answers for July 15, 2026 — “Rose-colored glasses” (#864)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 15, 2026 (puzzle #864) is PIEINTHESKY, a 11-letter answer to the theme "Rose-colored glasses". The 4 theme words are IDEALISTIC, IMPRACTICAL, QUIXOTIC and ROMANTIC.
Where is each answer on the July 15 Strands board?
Strands #864 resolves to these 4 theme words plus the spangram PIEINTHESKY.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IDEALISTIC | 10 | row 5, column 6 | row 7, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| IMPRACTICAL | 11 | row 5, column 1 | row 5, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| QUIXOTIC | 8 | row 1, column 5 | row 4, column 5 | top to bottom |
| ROMANTIC | 8 | row 2, column 3 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| PIEINTHESKY | 11 | row 8, column 3 | row 1, column 4 | bottom to top |
What did the July 15 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 — 11 letters4 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 C-M-O-Y-Q-U, row 2 reads I-A-R-K-X-I, row 3 reads T-N-E-S-O-T, row 4 reads M-P-H-T-C-I, row 5 reads I-R-L-N-E-I, row 6 reads A-A-E-I-A-D, row 7 reads C-C-I-L-C-I, and row 8 reads T-I-P-I-S-T.
How hard was the July 15 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #864 as hard: it sits at the 99th 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 15 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #864 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 15 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 15, 2026?
The Strands clue for July 15, 2026 is “Rose-colored glasses”, on puzzle #864. It is answered by the spangram PIEINTHESKY, and all 4 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 15, 2026?
The 4 Strands theme words for July 15, 2026 are IDEALISTIC, IMPRACTICAL, QUIXOTIC and ROMANTIC, plus the spangram PIEINTHESKY.
What was the big word in the July 15, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 15, 2026 is PIEINTHESKY, 11 letters long, running from row 8, column 3 to row 1, column 4. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Rose-colored glasses” mean?
The Strands theme “Rose-colored glasses” for July 15, 2026 means PIEINTHESKY — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 4 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands July 15, 2026?
Strands puzzle #864 has 4 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 15, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #864 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 99% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 15, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, July 15, 2026 is #864, 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.