#515Thursday, July 31, 2025
Strands answers for July 31, 2025 — “Half-baked” (#515)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 31, 2025 (puzzle #515) is PIECEOFCAKE, a 11-letter answer to the theme "Half-baked". The 7 theme words are BUNDT, CHEESE, FRUIT, FUNNEL, LAVA, POUND and SPONGE.
Where is each answer on the July 31 Strands board?
The 7 theme words for Strands on July 31, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUNDT | 5 | row 4, column 1 | row 1, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| CHEESE | 6 | row 5, column 4 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| FRUIT | 5 | row 2, column 2 | row 1, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| FUNNEL | 6 | row 7, column 6 | row 2, column 5 | bottom to top |
| LAVA | 4 | row 4, column 3 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| POUND | 5 | row 8, column 1 | row 8, column 4 | left to right |
| SPONGE | 6 | row 3, column 4 | row 7, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| PIECEOFCAKE | 11 | row 5, column 1 | row 6, column 6 | left to right |
What did the July 31 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for July 31, 2025 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 11 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 I-T-T-D-E-O, row 2 reads U-F-N-C-L-F, row 3 reads R-U-E-S-E-C, row 4 reads B-I-L-P-N-A, row 5 reads P-A-O-C-N-K, row 6 reads V-G-N-H-U-E, row 7 reads A-E-U-E-E-F, and row 8 reads P-O-N-D-S-E.
How hard was the July 31 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the July 31, 2025 puzzle lands in the easy range — above 8% 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 31 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #515 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 31 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 31, 2025?
The Strands clue for July 31, 2025 is “Half-baked”, on puzzle #515. It is answered by the spangram PIECEOFCAKE, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 31, 2025?
The 7 Strands theme words for July 31, 2025 are BUNDT, CHEESE, FRUIT, FUNNEL, LAVA, POUND and SPONGE, plus the spangram PIECEOFCAKE.
What was the big word in the July 31, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 31, 2025 is PIECEOFCAKE, 11 letters long, running from row 5, column 1 to row 6, 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 “Half-baked” mean?
The Strands theme “Half-baked” for July 31, 2025 means PIECEOFCAKE — 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 31, 2025?
Strands puzzle #515 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 31, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #515 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 8% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 31, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, July 31, 2025 is #515, 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.