Iranian state television said the tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.
(Image credit: Vahid Salemi)
Tanker set ablaze after being struck by projectile in the Strait of Hormuz
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Monday, July 6, 2026
NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, July 7 (game #856)
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 Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, July 6 (game #855).
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 #856) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Hitching a ride
NYT Strands today (game #856) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- CARGO
- GATE
- SLATE
- CHAIR
- REAR
- GORE
NYT Strands today (game #856) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 10 letters
NYT Strands today (game #856) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
• First side: left, 5th 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 #856) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #856, are…
- CART
- BUGGY
- WAGON
- CARRIAGE
- STAGECOACH
- SLEIGH
- SPANGRAM: IGETAROUND
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
I was having a merry old ride around this board until the final word and spangram slowed me down to a standstill.
Spangrams like IGETAROUND really are my nemesis and I came close, but not that close, to using a hint, but thankfully saw the unseasonal SLEIGH just in time before I disappeared into a letter-soup haze.
Finding non-game words was actually a good deal harder and I struggled to find the six required for this page.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, July 6, game #855)
- BLOOM
- EXPAND
- SPREAD
- FLOURISH
- THRIVE
- BURGEON
- SPANGRAM: SUMMERTIME
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.
Sunday, July 5, 2026
NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, July 6 (game #855)
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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, July 5 (game #854).
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 #855) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… The growing season
NYT Strands today (game #855) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- GRUMP
- ROLE
- DRIP
- HIVE
- MORE
- FLUE
- BIRD
NYT Strands today (game #855) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 10 letters
NYT Strands today (game #855) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
• First side: bottom, 1st column
• Last side: top, 4th column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #855) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #855, are…
- BLOOM
- EXPAND
- SPREAD
- FLOURISH
- THRIVE
- BURGEON
- SPANGRAM: SUMMERTIME
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
Sometimes Strands themes can be head scratchers, other times they are just plain clever and today's theme falls into that latter category.
With the word “season” in mind I quickly found SUMMERTIME thanks to the hard-to-miss double M, although the corkscrew connections provided a little challenge.
Beyond this there were a couple of tricky words — I wouldn’t have seen BURGEON had it not been for the fact that it was sandwiched by THRIVE and the spangram.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, July 5, game #854)
- POINTER
- SPANIEL
- TERRIER
- HOUND
- RETREIVER
- SPANGRAM: HUNTINGBREEDS
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.
Hong Kong's 'sound of silence': 6 years under the national security law
Six years after Beijing imposed its National Security Law, many of Hong Kong's opposition voices have gone silent. Danny Vincent looks at what's changed.
Guam and surrounding Pacific islands brace for impact of Super Typhoon Bavi
People in the Northern Mariana Islands – remote U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean – are preparing for Super Typhoon Bavi, which experts say could bring winds of over 180 miles per hour.
(Image credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric)
Pastor freed from prison in China weeks after Trump requested his release
A pastor of a prominent underground church who was detained in China in October has been released, less than two months after U.S. President Donald Trump brought up his case when meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
(Image credit: Ng Han Guan)
Saturday, July 4, 2026
NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, July 5 (game #854)
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 Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, July 4 (game #853).
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 #854) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Barking up the right tree
NYT Strands today (game #854) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- POLITE
- SPRITE
- LIVER
- HUNGER
- TINGE
- SPEEDING
NYT Strands today (game #854) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 13 letters
NYT Strands today (game #854) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
• First side: bottom, 1st column
• Last side: top, 6th column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #854) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #854, are…
- POINTER
- SPANIEL
- TERRIER
- HOUND
- RETREIVER
- SPANGRAM: HUNTINGBREEDS
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
My immediate thought was that the theme had to have something to do with dogs, but I was wary, of course, of falling into a trap and barking up the wrong tree.
After spotting POINTER it seemed clear that we were looking for dog breeds, but my canine knowledge was not good enough to know that we were searching out HUNTINGBREEDS until after I had connected SPANIEL and TERRIER and then the spangram.
Beyond the game itself there was also an interesting crop of lengthy non-game words. It’s rare that I’ll find many over five-letters long but today the board was loaded with them.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, July 4, game #853)
- BRIGHT
- COLORFUL
- DAZZLING
- EXCITING
- SPARKLING
- SPANGRAM: FIREWORKS
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.