Searchers continued to work in the Kumamoto area, including at the site of the collapsed mall, where some of the most serious damage was recorded.
(Image credit: Kyodo News)
Death toll from southwestern Japan quake climbs to 34
Thursday, July 30, 2026
Trump announces a deal for Hamas to disarm, but many hurdles and uncertainty remain
President Trump says a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza. But many hurdles, conditions and long timelines remain to wind down the war in the Palestinian territory.
(Image credit: Jehad Alshrafi)
NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, July 31 (game #880)
Looking for a different day?
A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, July 30 (game #879).
Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #880) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Summer sign
NYT Strands today (game #880) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- SLOTH
- HOTEL
- CHILLY
- BOTHER
- COLD
- THEY
- LION
NYT Strands today (game #880) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 10 letters
NYT Strands today (game #880) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
• First side: left, 1st row
• Last side: right, 5th row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #880) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #880, are…
- CHARMING
- BOLD
- BOSSY
- LOYAL
- GENEROUS
- DRAMATIC
- SPANGRAM: LEOTHELION
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
It took me far too long to understand that today’s words were about astrology.
My first word of CHARMING seemed to have nothing to do with the summer and so it continued until I realized that BOSSY, LOYAL and GENEROUS had nothing to do with the season and a lot to do with personality — and in particular the (supposed) personality of a LEO.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, July 30, game #879)
- SMITH
- MASON
- JOINER
- TANNER
- COOPER
- WEAVER
- SPANGRAM: ARTISANS
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
U.S. resumes strikes on Iran in retaliation for attack on American troops
The U.S. said it had struck "dozens" of targets belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. The multiple flare-ups, after several days of relative calm, raised the risk of a return to all-out war.
(Image credit: Razieh Poudat/AP Photo)
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Hope dwindles for rescue in southwestern Japan quake as death toll climbs to 23
Time was running out to find survivors, as rescuers continued to work in the Kumamoto area on Japan 's southern main island of Kyushu, where the magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Tuesday.
(Image credit: Koji Harada)
NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, July 30 (game #879)
Looking for a different day?
A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, July 29 (game #878).
Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #879) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Trade names
NYT Strands today (game #879) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- WART
- RAVE
- MAST
- STOP
- TROOPER
- PASTE
NYT Strands today (game #879) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 8 letters
NYT Strands today (game #879) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
• First side: left, 1st row
• Last side: right, 1st row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #879) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #879, are…
- SMITH
- MASON
- JOINER
- TANNER
- COOPER
- WEAVER
- SPANGRAM: ARTISANS
- My rating: Hard
- My score: 1 hint
As I was working around the board collecting “trade names” I could not help but wonder how many of today’s trades would be considered the work of ARTISANS in the future — programmer, writer, barista?
Many in the search are jobs that are now quite niche, yet we only need think of how many people are named SMITH or COOPER to realize how commonplace they once were.
Not so commonplace, however, to prevent me from needing a hint, although in my case it was laziness that prompted me to take the shortcut, thus demonstrating my inevitable replacement by a far more capable AI version.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, July 29, game #878)
- DOLL
- PUPPET
- DUMMY
- MANNEQUIN
- FIGURINE
- STATUE
- SPANGRAM: FABRICATED
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Rescuers search for the missing after Japan earthquake as death toll rises to 13
Soldiers and emergency workers combed through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors Wednesday after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 13 people.
(Image credit: Naoki Hiraoka)
