#486Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Strands answers for July 2, 2025 — “This is for the birds” (#486)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 2, 2025 (puzzle #486) is NESTINGMATERIAL, a 15-letter answer to the theme "This is for the birds". The 7 theme words are FEATHER, FLUFF, GRASS, LEAF, MOSS, TWIG and WOOL.
Where is each answer on the July 2 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #486 is 7 theme words and one spangram.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FEATHER | 7 | row 4, column 6 | row 8, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| FLUFF | 5 | row 4, column 1 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| GRASS | 5 | row 5, column 5 | row 7, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| LEAF | 4 | row 1, column 1 | row 2, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| MOSS | 4 | row 7, column 2 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| TWIG | 4 | row 1, column 5 | row 2, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| WOOL | 4 | row 1, column 3 | row 2, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| NESTINGMATERIAL | 15 | row 3, column 6 | row 8, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the July 2 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 — 15 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 L-E-W-O-T-W, row 2 reads A-F-O-L-I-G, row 3 reads N-I-T-S-E-N, row 4 reads F-G-M-A-T-F, row 5 reads F-L-R-E-G-E, row 6 reads F-U-I-S-R-A, row 7 reads S-M-A-S-A-T, and row 8 reads S-O-L-R-E-H.
How hard was the July 2 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #486 as easy: it sits at the 4th 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 2 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #486 was edited by Tracy Bennett, who also constructed it. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the July 2 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 2, 2025?
The Strands clue for July 2, 2025 is “This is for the birds”, on puzzle #486. It is answered by the spangram NESTINGMATERIAL, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 2, 2025?
The 7 Strands theme words for July 2, 2025 are FEATHER, FLUFF, GRASS, LEAF, MOSS, TWIG and WOOL, plus the spangram NESTINGMATERIAL.
What was the big word in the July 2, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 2, 2025 is NESTINGMATERIAL, 15 letters long, running from row 3, column 6 to row 8, column 3. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “This is for the birds” mean?
The Strands theme “This is for the birds” for July 2, 2025 means NESTINGMATERIAL — 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 2, 2025?
Strands puzzle #486 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 2, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #486 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 4% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 2, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 is #486, 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.