NYT Strands Game #873: Hints, Answers & Tips for July 18, 2026

NYT Strands Game #873: Hints, Answers & Tips for July 18, 2026

If you're staring at a 6×8 grid of letters wondering where to even begin, you're not alone. Strands, the New York Times' daily word search that launched in 2024, has quickly become a morning ritual for puzzle fans. Today's puzzle, Game #873, centers on a theme that's both familiar and sneakily specific: words that describe having more than enough of something.

Below you'll find a progression of help — from gentle nudges to the full solution — so you can choose exactly how much assistance you want. The game updates daily at midnight in your local time zone, so this puzzle will be replaced by Game #874 come July 19.

How Strands Works (Quick Refresher)

Each daily puzzle presents a 6×8 letter grid. Your job: find words that share a hidden theme. Words must be at least four letters long. Theme words highlight in blue when found. There's also a spangram — a special word or phrase that spans the grid and reveals the deeper theme — which turns yellow when discovered. Every single letter in the grid gets used exactly once across all theme words and the spangram.

Stuck? Find three non-theme words (valid dictionary words that don't fit the theme) and you'll earn a hint that reveals letters of a theme word. It's a nice safety net that keeps the puzzle moving without handing you the answer outright.

Today's Theme: "More Than Enough"

The connecting thread for Game #873 is terms describing an overabundance. Think leftovers, surplus, extras — the vocabulary of having plenty to spare. Once you lock onto that concept, the individual answers start falling into place.

Gentle Hints (No Spoilers)

Want a nudge without the full reveal? Here are three clues that point toward the theme:

• Hint 1: "___! ___! Read all about it!" — a classic newsie cry that doubles as a theme word.
• Hint 2: What you call the remaining Thanksgiving food taking up fridge space.
• Hint 3: "Save me the drama" — but swap "save" for a word meaning spare or extra.

If those spark something, great. If not, the next section has starter words that unlock in-game hints.

Starter Words to Unlock Hints

Finding any three valid non-theme words triggers the hint system. These five are solid bets to get you there quickly:

• SOME
• LEFT
• PLUS
• USED
• PULSE

Plug a couple of these in and you'll have a hint revealing letters of one theme word — often enough to crack the theme wide open.

Today's Strands Answers for Game #873

Stop here if you want to solve it yourself.

The six theme words for July 18, 2026:

• LEFTOVER
• EXTRA
• SPARE
• UNUSED
• SURPLUS
• EXCESS

Spangram: ANDTHENSOME

The spangram stretches across the grid and perfectly captures the theme — it's what you say when there's not just enough, but more than enough. "And then some" is the colloquial cherry on top of a puzzle about abundance.

Why This Puzzle Works

Strands shines when its theme words feel like a cohesive family rather than a random list. Today's set — LEFTOVER, EXTRA, SPARE, UNUSED, SURPLUS, EXCESS — covers different shades of "too much": the practical (leftover), the quantitative (extra, surplus), the conditional (spare), the state-based (unused), and the excessive (excess). The spangram ANDTHENSOME ties them together with idiomatic flair. It's a well-constructed puzzle that rewards lateral thinking without feeling unfair.

Tips for Tomorrow's Puzzle

If today's grid gave you trouble, a few habits make future puzzles smoother:

• Scan for the spangram first. It often anchors the theme and uses high-value letters (Q, Z, X, J) that are easier to spot.
• Think in categories. Once you find one theme word, ask: "What family does this belong to?" — food? verbs? idioms? adjectives?
• Use the hint system strategically. Don't be shy about finding three throwaway words to unlock a hint. It's designed to be used.
• Work the corners. Theme words often snake along edges where letter combinations are more constrained.

Game #874 arrives at midnight tonight. See you there.