#868Sunday, July 19, 2026
Strands answers for July 19, 2026 — “Big talk” (#868)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 19, 2026 (puzzle #868) is SUPERSIZEIT, a 11-letter answer to the theme "Big talk". The 5 theme words are BEHEMOTH, COLOSSUS, GIANT, LEVIATHAN and MAMMOTH.
Where is each answer on the July 19 Strands board?
Strands #868 resolves to these 5 theme words plus the spangram SUPERSIZEIT.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEHEMOTH | 8 | row 3, column 2 | row 4, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| COLOSSUS | 8 | row 5, column 3 | row 8, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| GIANT | 5 | row 5, column 1 | row 1, column 1 | bottom to top |
| LEVIATHAN | 9 | row 2, column 5 | row 3, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| MAMMOTH | 7 | row 8, column 4 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| SUPERSIZEIT | 11 | row 8, column 1 | row 8, column 6 | left to right |
What did the July 19 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 letters5 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-H-E-E-V-I, row 2 reads N-E-M-O-L-A, row 3 reads A-B-T-N-A-T, row 4 reads I-H-R-S-I-H, row 5 reads G-E-C-O-L-Z, row 6 reads P-H-T-S-O-E, row 7 reads U-M-O-S-U-I, and row 8 reads S-M-A-M-S-T.
How hard was the July 19 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #868 as above average: it sits at the 55th 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 19 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #868 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 19 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 19, 2026?
The Strands clue for July 19, 2026 is “Big talk”, on puzzle #868. It is answered by the spangram SUPERSIZEIT, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 19, 2026?
The 5 Strands theme words for July 19, 2026 are BEHEMOTH, COLOSSUS, GIANT, LEVIATHAN and MAMMOTH, plus the spangram SUPERSIZEIT.
What was the big word in the July 19, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 19, 2026 is SUPERSIZEIT, 11 letters long, running from row 8, column 1 to row 8, 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 “Big talk” mean?
The Strands theme “Big talk” for July 19, 2026 means SUPERSIZEIT — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 5 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands July 19, 2026?
Strands puzzle #868 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 19, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #868 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 55% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 19, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, July 19, 2026 is #868, 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.