In today’s July 13 edition of Strands—the New York Times’ increasingly popular daily word puzzle—players were challenged with a baseball-themed puzzle that tested both vocabulary and thematic intuition. If you struggled to complete it or just want to verify your answers, we’ve got you covered with a full breakdown of today’s puzzle, including hints, the pangram, and all the theme words.
What Are Strands and How Do They Work?
Strands is a more intricate version of the classic word search puzzle, brought to you by The New York Times as part of its ever-growing puzzle suite that includes Wordle, Connections, and The Mini Crossword. The twist? Every puzzle is structured around a specific theme, and each letter on the board is used exactly once.
Your goal is to uncover all “theme words” hidden within a grid of letters. You can select letters by dragging or tapping across them. Double-tap the last letter of a word to confirm it. Unlike standard word searches, there’s no reuse of letters between words.
An extra layer of complexity comes from the inclusion of one “spangram” — a long theme word that stretches across the board, touching two opposite sides and summarizing the puzzle’s theme.
Today’s Theme and Hint
- Theme Title: In the Ballpark
- Official Hint: Get yourself a hot dog
- User Intent Answer: Readers likely inferred the puzzle would center around baseball culture and stadium experiences, from players and equipment to fan-favorite snacks and ballpark infrastructure.
Today’s Spangram
The central spangram for July 13 was:
➡️ STADIUM
This seven-letter word anchored today’s grid and directly supported the puzzle’s theme — the physical space where America’s favorite pastime is played and experienced.
All Theme Words for July 13, 2025
Here’s the complete list of theme words players needed to find:
- STADIUM (Spangram)
- HELMET – Standard headgear for player safety.
- GLOVE – A key piece of equipment used in fielding.
- BULLPEN – Where relief pitchers warm up.
- PITCHER – One of the central roles in any baseball game.
- JUMBOTRON – The massive screen that delivers replays and entertainment.
- PEANUTS – A classic snack often sold at baseball games.
Game Strategy Recap
To complete the puzzle efficiently:
- Finding smaller, non-theme words of at least four letters helps earn hints.
- Each hint reveals scrambled letters of a theme word, speeding up the solve process.
- Identifying the spanner early often helps contextualize the other words.
Why It Matters: The Growing Popularity of Strands
The Strands puzzle has steadily carved a place among NYT Games staples. Its appeal lies in blending vocabulary knowledge with deductive logic, and it has quickly become part of many puzzle enthusiasts’ daily routines. Like Wordle, Strands encourages sharing solves, tracking streaks, and competing with friends.
Themes like today’s — which blend nostalgia, sports, and pop culture — continue to attract a wide user base and highlight Strands’ creative puzzle design.
What’s Next?
Tomorrow brings a new challenge with a fresh theme. If today’s puzzle left you inspired, frustrated, or hungry for more (maybe even for a hot dog and peanuts), check back daily for updated hints and full solutions.
You can play Strands every day via the New York Times Games App on iOS and Android, or directly on the NYT website.
Stay sharp and happy puzzling!