Monday, July 13, 2026

Sam Neill, known for 'Jurassic Park' and 'The Piano,' dies at 78, his family says

Sam Neill arrives at the premiere of "Apples Never Fall" on March 12, 2024, in Los Angeles.

In 2023, Neill disclosed he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Neill died on Monday in Sydney, according to a statement posted to the actor's social media page.

(Image credit: Richard Shotwell/AP Photo)

Sunday, July 12, 2026

NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, July 13 (game #862)

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 12 (game #861).

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 #862) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

Today's NYT Strands theme is… Just what I needed

NYT Strands today (game #862) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

  • LEAN
  • TASTE
  • THESPIAN
  • HUNT
  • JEST
  • HIDES

NYT Strands today (game #862) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #862) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: right, 6th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #862) - the answers

NYT Strands answers for game 862 on a blue background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #862, are…

  • PLEASANT
  • DELIGHTFUL
  • ENJOYABLE
  • SATISFYING
  • SPANGRAM: HITSTHESPOT
  • My rating: Hard
  • My score: 1 hint

Only four words to spot but my goodness were they difficult to see.

Fortunately, the board was brimming with non-game words, including a couple of uncommonly long ones, so I took a hint.

However, even after getting PLEASANT I still didn’t understand the search and labored over the remaining three words and the Woodhousean spangram.

I hope it was all more DELIGHTFUL and SATISFYING for you.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, July 12, game #861)

  • STOOP
  • BOROUGH
  • BODEGA
  • SUBWAY
  • TAXI
  • BAGEL
  • DELI
  • SPANGRAM: EMPIRESTATE

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.

Saturday, July 11, 2026

US attacks Iran over ship being hit in Strait of Hormuz; Tehran lashes out again at Gulf Arab states

A man holds a poster of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a gathering commemorating him at a square in Tehran, Saturday, July 11, 2026.

The United States attacked Iran early Sunday morning over an Iranian attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran apparently responded with strikes targeting Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

(Image credit: Vahid Salemi)

NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, July 12 (game #861)

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 11 (game #860).

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 #861) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

Today's NYT Strands theme is… In the Big Apple

NYT Strands today (game #861) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

  • GABLE
  • WAXY
  • GRIP
  • TILED
  • DATA
  • HUGGER

NYT Strands today (game #861) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #861) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: bottom, 3rd column

Last side: top, 3rd column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #861) - the answers

NYT Strands answers for game 861 on a blue background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #861, are…

  • STOOP
  • BOROUGH
  • BODEGA
  • SUBWAY
  • TAXI
  • BAGEL
  • DELI
  • SPANGRAM: EMPIRESTATE
  • My rating: Easy
  • My score: Perfect

It took me a while to see BAGEL and DELI, possibly because I don’t associate them uniquely with New York, but this slight delay aside today’s game was a breeze.

I even managed to spot the spangram before any game words — EMPIRESTATE towering from the top to the bottom of the board, much like the magnificent building — earning myself the Spangram First 100 times badge.

As Alicia Keys sang, “concrete jungle where dreams are made of” — although this possibly doesn’t apply if your dream is acing word searches.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, July 11, game #860)

  • CHEESE
  • SOUP
  • MILK
  • TUNA
  • PEPPER
  • SALT
  • NOODLES
  • SPANGRAM: CASSEROLE

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.