#499Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Strands answers for July 15, 2025 — “Come one, come all!” (#499)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 15, 2025 (puzzle #499) is COUNTYFAIRS, a 11-letter answer to the theme "Come one, come all!". The 6 theme words are GAMES, LIVESTOCK, MUSIC, PRIZES, RIDES and VENDORS.
Where is each answer on the July 15 Strands board?
Strands #499 resolves to these 6 theme words plus the spangram COUNTYFAIRS.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GAMES | 5 | row 8, column 5 | row 5, column 6 | bottom to top |
| LIVESTOCK | 9 | row 1, column 1 | row 8, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| MUSIC | 5 | row 3, column 5 | row 2, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| PRIZES | 6 | row 8, column 2 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| RIDES | 5 | row 2, column 6 | row 1, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| VENDORS | 7 | row 6, column 3 | row 2, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| COUNTYFAIRS | 11 | row 1, column 3 | row 8, column 4 | top to bottom |
What did the July 15 Strands grid look like?
The grid below is six letters wide and eight rows deep, with every answer traced through the letters it uses.
Spangram — 11 letters6 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads L-I-C-S-D-I, row 2 reads S-V-O-E-C-R, row 3 reads R-E-U-N-M-I, row 4 reads O-D-S-T-U-S, row 5 reads N-E-T-Y-F-S, row 6 reads E-S-V-O-A-E, row 7 reads I-Z-C-R-I-M, and row 8 reads R-P-K-S-G-A.
How hard was the July 15 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #499 as above average: it sits at the 71th percentile of every Strands grid to date.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the July 15 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #499 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Christina Iverson. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the July 15 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 15, 2025?
The Strands clue for July 15, 2025 is “Come one, come all!”, on puzzle #499. It is answered by the spangram COUNTYFAIRS, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 15, 2025?
The 6 Strands theme words for July 15, 2025 are GAMES, LIVESTOCK, MUSIC, PRIZES, RIDES and VENDORS, plus the spangram COUNTYFAIRS.
What was the big word in the July 15, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 15, 2025 is COUNTYFAIRS, 11 letters long, running from row 1, column 3 to row 8, column 4. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Come one, come all!” mean?
The Strands theme “Come one, come all!” for July 15, 2025 means COUNTYFAIRS — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands July 15, 2025?
Strands puzzle #499 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 15, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #499 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 71% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 15, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 is #499, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in July 2025, part of the full Strands archive.