#65Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Strands answers for May 7, 2024 — “Can you dig it?” (#65)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for May 7, 2024 (puzzle #65) is HEAVYMETAL, a 10-letter answer to the theme "Can you dig it?". The 6 theme words are ANTIMONY, ARSENIC, BISMUTH, COPPER, GOLD and SILVER.
Where is each answer on the May 7 Strands board?
Here are all 6 theme words from the May 7, 2024 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANTIMONY | 8 | row 1, column 5 | row 7, column 6 | top to bottom |
| ARSENIC | 7 | row 8, column 2 | row 3, column 2 | bottom to top |
| BISMUTH | 7 | row 2, column 1 | row 8, column 1 | top to bottom |
| COPPER | 6 | row 5, column 5 | row 8, column 4 | top to bottom |
| GOLD | 4 | row 2, column 3 | row 1, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| SILVER | 6 | row 5, column 4 | row 3, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| HEAVYMETAL | 10 | row 1, column 1 | row 6, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the May 7 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 7 words tile all 48 cells of the May 7, 2024 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 H-O-L-D-A-N, row 2 reads B-E-G-E-V-T, row 3 reads I-C-A-R-L-I, row 4 reads S-I-N-V-I-M, row 5 reads M-E-Y-S-C-O, row 6 reads U-S-M-L-O-N, row 7 reads T-R-E-A-P-Y, and row 8 reads H-A-T-R-E-P.
How hard was the May 7 Strands puzzle?
Strands #65 is the easiest puzzle the difficulty index has scored — no published Strands grid rates below it.
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 7 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #65 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Heidi Erwin. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the May 7 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on May 7, 2024?
The Strands clue for May 7, 2024 is “Can you dig it?”, on puzzle #65. It is answered by the spangram HEAVYMETAL, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on May 7, 2024?
The 6 Strands theme words for May 7, 2024 are ANTIMONY, ARSENIC, BISMUTH, COPPER, GOLD and SILVER, plus the spangram HEAVYMETAL.
What was the big word in the May 7, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for May 7, 2024 is HEAVYMETAL, 10 letters long, running from row 1, column 1 to row 6, column 4. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Can you dig it?” mean?
The Strands theme “Can you dig it?” for May 7, 2024 means HEAVYMETAL — 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 7, 2024?
Strands puzzle #65 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the May 7, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #65 is the easiest puzzle on the computed difficulty index — no Strands grid published since March 2024 rates below it.
What number was the Strands puzzle on May 7, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 is #65, 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 2024, part of the full Strands archive.