#870Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Strands answers for July 21, 2026 — “Write there” (#870)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 21, 2026 (puzzle #870) is STATIONERY, a 10-letter answer to the theme "Write there". The 6 theme words are CARD, ENVELOPE, FILE, LETTERHEAD, NOTEPAD and SHEET.
Where is each answer on the July 21 Strands board?
Here are all 6 theme words from the July 21, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARD | 4 | row 7, column 3 | row 6, column 6 | left to right |
| ENVELOPE | 8 | row 1, column 2 | row 2, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| FILE | 4 | row 7, column 2 | row 6, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| LETTERHEAD | 10 | row 3, column 4 | row 1, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| NOTEPAD | 7 | row 5, column 1 | row 8, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| SHEET | 5 | row 7, column 4 | row 7, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| STATIONERY | 10 | row 4, column 1 | row 5, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the July 21 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 7 words tile all 48 cells of the July 21, 2026 grid.
Spangram — 10 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 N-E-D-A-R-E, row 2 reads V-P-E-E-H-T, row 3 reads E-L-O-L-E-T, row 4 reads S-T-A-T-I-O, row 5 reads N-L-Y-R-E-N, row 6 reads O-I-E-A-R-D, row 7 reads T-F-C-S-H-T, and row 8 reads E-P-A-D-E-E.
How hard was the July 21 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the July 21, 2026 puzzle lands in the easy range — above 2% 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 21 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #870 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 21 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 21, 2026?
The Strands clue for July 21, 2026 is “Write there”, on puzzle #870. It is answered by the spangram STATIONERY, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 21, 2026?
The 6 Strands theme words for July 21, 2026 are CARD, ENVELOPE, FILE, LETTERHEAD, NOTEPAD and SHEET, plus the spangram STATIONERY.
What was the big word in the July 21, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 21, 2026 is STATIONERY, 10 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 5, 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 “Write there” mean?
The Strands theme “Write there” for July 21, 2026 means STATIONERY — 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 21, 2026?
Strands puzzle #870 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 21, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #870 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 2% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 21, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, July 21, 2026 is #870, 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.