#121Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Strands answers for July 2, 2024 — “Heat and eat” (#121)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 2, 2024 (puzzle #121) is COOKING, a 7-letter answer to the theme "Heat and eat". The 7 theme words are BLANCH, BRAISE, DEGLAZE, FLAMBE, POACH, SIMMER and STEAM.
Where is each answer on the July 2 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #121 is 7 theme words and one spangram.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLANCH | 6 | row 5, column 4 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| BRAISE | 6 | row 2, column 3 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| DEGLAZE | 7 | row 3, column 3 | row 5, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| FLAMBE | 6 | row 2, column 1 | row 5, column 1 | top to bottom |
| POACH | 5 | row 7, column 6 | row 8, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| SIMMER | 6 | row 6, column 4 | row 6, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| STEAM | 5 | row 3, column 6 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| COOKING | 7 | row 6, column 6 | row 6, column 1 | right to left |
What did the July 2 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 — 7 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-A-R-A-M, row 2 reads F-S-B-E-E-T, row 3 reads M-L-D-G-L-S, row 4 reads B-A-I-K-A-Z, row 5 reads E-N-L-B-O-E, row 6 reads G-A-R-S-O-C, row 7 reads C-N-E-I-O-P, and row 8 reads H-M-M-H-C-A.
How hard was the July 2 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #121 as average: it sits at the 40th 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 2 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #121 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Shehara Ranasinghe. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the July 2 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 2, 2024?
The Strands clue for July 2, 2024 is “Heat and eat”, on puzzle #121. It is answered by the spangram COOKING, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 2, 2024?
The 7 Strands theme words for July 2, 2024 are BLANCH, BRAISE, DEGLAZE, FLAMBE, POACH, SIMMER and STEAM, plus the spangram COOKING.
What was the big word in the July 2, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 2, 2024 is COOKING, 7 letters long, running from row 6, column 6 to row 6, column 1. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Heat and eat” mean?
The Strands theme “Heat and eat” for July 2, 2024 means COOKING — 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 2, 2024?
Strands puzzle #121 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 2, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #121 rates average on a computed index, harder than 40% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 2, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, July 2, 2024 is #121, 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.