#819Sunday, May 31, 2026
Strands answers for May 31, 2026 — “Places to go” (#819)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for May 31, 2026 (puzzle #819) is TOURISM, a 7-letter answer to the theme "Places to go". The 6 theme words are BEACH, CASTLE, MARKET, MONUMENT, MUSEUM and RESTAURANT.
Where is each answer on the May 31 Strands board?
Strands #819 resolves to these 6 theme words plus the spangram TOURISM.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEACH | 5 | row 2, column 5 | row 2, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| CASTLE | 6 | row 6, column 1 | row 4, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| MARKET | 6 | row 5, column 3 | row 6, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| MONUMENT | 8 | row 8, column 6 | row 4, column 5 | bottom to top |
| MUSEUM | 6 | row 1, column 1 | row 1, column 4 | left to right |
| RESTAURANT | 10 | row 8, column 2 | row 8, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| TOURISM | 7 | row 2, column 1 | row 3, column 6 | left to right |
What did the May 31 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 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 M-U-U-M-A-C, row 2 reads T-S-E-E-B-H, row 3 reads O-U-R-I-S-M, row 4 reads E-L-A-R-T-N, row 5 reads A-T-M-K-M-E, row 6 reads C-S-T-E-U-N, row 7 reads S-T-A-U-R-O, and row 8 reads E-R-T-N-A-M.
How hard was the May 31 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #819 as easy: it sits at the 22th 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 May 31 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #819 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 May 31 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on May 31, 2026?
The Strands clue for May 31, 2026 is “Places to go”, on puzzle #819. It is answered by the spangram TOURISM, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on May 31, 2026?
The 6 Strands theme words for May 31, 2026 are BEACH, CASTLE, MARKET, MONUMENT, MUSEUM and RESTAURANT, plus the spangram TOURISM.
What was the big word in the May 31, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for May 31, 2026 is TOURISM, 7 letters long, running from row 2, column 1 to row 3, 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 “Places to go” mean?
The Strands theme “Places to go” for May 31, 2026 means TOURISM — 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 May 31, 2026?
Strands puzzle #819 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the May 31, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #819 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 22% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on May 31, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, May 31, 2026 is #819, 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 May 2026, part of the full Strands archive.