#500Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Strands answers for July 16, 2025 — “Tech accessories” (#500)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 16, 2025 (puzzle #500) is TABLET, a 6-letter answer to the theme "Tech accessories". The 7 theme words are CASE, CHARGER, FOLIO, KEYBOARD, SPEAKER, STAND and STYLUS.
Where is each answer on the July 16 Strands board?
Here are all 7 theme words from the July 16, 2025 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CASE | 4 | row 1, column 6 | row 4, column 6 | top to bottom |
| CHARGER | 7 | row 6, column 3 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| FOLIO | 5 | row 4, column 4 | row 3, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| KEYBOARD | 8 | row 6, column 6 | row 7, column 2 | right to left |
| SPEAKER | 7 | row 3, column 1 | row 3, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| STAND | 5 | row 1, column 5 | row 4, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| STYLUS | 6 | row 8, column 4 | row 8, column 1 | right to left |
| TABLET | 6 | row 5, column 6 | row 4, column 1 | right to left |
What did the July 16 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 8 words tile all 48 cells of the July 16, 2025 grid.
Spangram — 6 letters7 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 E-A-K-T-S-C, row 2 reads P-E-A-L-I-A, row 3 reads S-R-N-O-O-S, row 4 reads T-D-L-F-A-E, row 5 reads A-E-B-B-E-T, row 6 reads R-O-C-Y-G-K, row 7 reads U-D-T-H-R-E, and row 8 reads S-L-Y-S-A-R.
How hard was the July 16 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #500 comes out average, ahead of 30% of them.
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 16 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #500 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 16 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 16, 2025?
The Strands clue for July 16, 2025 is “Tech accessories”, on puzzle #500. It is answered by the spangram TABLET, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 16, 2025?
The 7 Strands theme words for July 16, 2025 are CASE, CHARGER, FOLIO, KEYBOARD, SPEAKER, STAND and STYLUS, plus the spangram TABLET.
What was the big word in the July 16, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 16, 2025 is TABLET, 6 letters long, running from row 5, column 6 to row 4, column 1. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Tech accessories” mean?
The Strands theme “Tech accessories” for July 16, 2025 means TABLET — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 7 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands July 16, 2025?
Strands puzzle #500 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 16, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #500 rates average on a computed index, harder than 30% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 16, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 is #500, 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.