#867Saturday, July 18, 2026
Strands answers for July 18, 2026 — “A healthy breakfast” (#867)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 18, 2026 (puzzle #867) is BOWLOFGRANOLA, a 13-letter answer to the theme "A healthy breakfast". The 6 theme words are CRUNCHY, NUTTY, OATY, SALTY, SWEET and WHOLESOME.
Where is each answer on the July 18 Strands board?
Here are all 6 theme words from the July 18, 2026 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRUNCHY | 7 | row 3, column 5 | row 5, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| NUTTY | 5 | row 2, column 5 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| OATY | 4 | row 2, column 4 | row 2, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| SALTY | 5 | row 6, column 1 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| SWEET | 5 | row 1, column 2 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| WHOLESOME | 9 | row 7, column 3 | row 6, column 6 | left to right |
| BOWLOFGRANOLA | 13 | row 4, column 1 | row 4, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the July 18 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 7 words tile all 48 cells of the July 18, 2026 grid.
Spangram — 13 letters6 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 T-S-T-A-U-T, row 2 reads E-W-Y-O-N-T, row 3 reads E-N-U-R-C-Y, row 4 reads B-C-A-L-A-R, row 5 reads O-H-Y-O-N-G, row 6 reads S-W-L-O-F-E, row 7 reads L-A-W-L-E-M, and row 8 reads Y-T-H-O-S-O.
How hard was the July 18 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the July 18, 2026 puzzle lands in the hard range — above 83% of all Strands puzzles.
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 18 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #867 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 18 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 18, 2026?
The Strands clue for July 18, 2026 is “A healthy breakfast”, on puzzle #867. It is answered by the spangram BOWLOFGRANOLA, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 18, 2026?
The 6 Strands theme words for July 18, 2026 are CRUNCHY, NUTTY, OATY, SALTY, SWEET and WHOLESOME, plus the spangram BOWLOFGRANOLA.
What was the big word in the July 18, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 18, 2026 is BOWLOFGRANOLA, 13 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 4, 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 “A healthy breakfast” mean?
The Strands theme “A healthy breakfast” for July 18, 2026 means BOWLOFGRANOLA — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands July 18, 2026?
Strands puzzle #867 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 18, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #867 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 83% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 18, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Saturday, July 18, 2026 is #867, 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.