#506Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Strands answers for July 22, 2025 — “Pet store purchase” (#506)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 22, 2025 (puzzle #506) is AQUARIUM, a 8-letter answer to the theme "Pet store purchase". The 7 theme words are FILTER, FISH, PLANTS, PUMP, ROCKS, TANK and THERMOMETER.
Where is each answer on the July 22 Strands board?
The 7 theme words for Strands on July 22, 2025 are listed below, followed by the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FILTER | 6 | row 3, column 3 | row 2, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| FISH | 4 | row 5, column 3 | row 5, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| PLANTS | 6 | row 7, column 3 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| PUMP | 4 | row 3, column 1 | row 3, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| ROCKS | 5 | row 2, column 6 | row 4, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| TANK | 4 | row 2, column 4 | row 1, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| THERMOMETER | 11 | row 8, column 4 | row 6, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| AQUARIUM | 8 | row 1, column 4 | row 8, column 3 | top to bottom |
What did the July 22 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for July 22, 2025 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 8 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-T-L-A-K-N, row 2 reads R-I-Q-T-A-R, row 3 reads P-P-F-U-O-C, row 4 reads M-U-A-S-K-M, row 5 reads H-I-F-R-E-O, row 6 reads S-L-I-T-R-M, row 7 reads S-A-P-U-E-R, and row 8 reads T-N-M-T-H-E.
How hard was the July 22 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the July 22, 2025 puzzle lands in the average range — above 37% 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 22 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #506 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 22 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 22, 2025?
The Strands clue for July 22, 2025 is “Pet store purchase”, on puzzle #506. It is answered by the spangram AQUARIUM, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 22, 2025?
The 7 Strands theme words for July 22, 2025 are FILTER, FISH, PLANTS, PUMP, ROCKS, TANK and THERMOMETER, plus the spangram AQUARIUM.
What was the big word in the July 22, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 22, 2025 is AQUARIUM, 8 letters long, running from row 1, column 4 to row 8, 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 “Pet store purchase” mean?
The Strands theme “Pet store purchase” for July 22, 2025 means AQUARIUM — 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 22, 2025?
Strands puzzle #506 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 22, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #506 rates average on a computed index, harder than 37% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 22, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, July 22, 2025 is #506, 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 2025, part of the full Strands archive.