#138Friday, July 19, 2024
Strands answers for July 19, 2024 — “And the Oscar goes to ...” (#138)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 19, 2024 (puzzle #138) is BESTACTING, a 10-letter answer to the theme "And the Oscar goes to ...". The 7 theme words are BERRY, BRIDGES, FIELD, HUNT, PHOENIX, STONE and SWANK.
Where is each answer on the July 19 Strands board?
Strands #138 resolves to these 7 theme words plus the spangram BESTACTING.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BERRY | 5 | row 3, column 6 | row 4, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| BRIDGES | 7 | row 8, column 6 | row 5, column 6 | bottom to top |
| FIELD | 5 | row 1, column 3 | row 2, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| HUNT | 4 | row 6, column 2 | row 5, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| PHOENIX | 7 | row 4, column 2 | row 5, column 5 | left to right |
| STONE | 5 | row 8, column 3 | row 8, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| SWANK | 5 | row 2, column 6 | row 2, column 3 | right to left |
| BESTACTING | 10 | row 3, column 1 | row 4, column 6 | left to right |
What did the July 19 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #138 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 10 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 E-I-F-N-A-W, row 2 reads D-L-K-R-E-S, row 3 reads B-E-S-R-N-B, row 4 reads H-P-T-Y-I-G, row 5 reads T-O-A-T-X-S, row 6 reads N-H-E-C-I-E, row 7 reads U-O-T-N-D-G, and row 8 reads N-E-S-I-R-B.
How hard was the July 19 Strands puzzle?
Strands #138 scores easy on our difficulty index, harder than 15% of every Strands puzzle published so far.
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 19 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #138 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 19 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 19, 2024?
The Strands clue for July 19, 2024 is “And the Oscar goes to ...”, on puzzle #138. It is answered by the spangram BESTACTING, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 19, 2024?
The 7 Strands theme words for July 19, 2024 are BERRY, BRIDGES, FIELD, HUNT, PHOENIX, STONE and SWANK, plus the spangram BESTACTING.
What was the big word in the July 19, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 19, 2024 is BESTACTING, 10 letters long, running from row 3, column 1 to row 4, 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 “And the Oscar goes to ...” mean?
The Strands theme “And the Oscar goes to ...” for July 19, 2024 means BESTACTING — 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 19, 2024?
Strands puzzle #138 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 19, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #138 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 15% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 19, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Friday, July 19, 2024 is #138, 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 2024, part of the full Strands archive.