#139Saturday, July 20, 2024
Strands answers for July 20, 2024 — “A seat at the table” (#139)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 20, 2024 (puzzle #139) is PLACESETTING, a 12-letter answer to the theme "A seat at the table". The 7 theme words are FORK, GLASS, KNIFE, NAPKIN, PLATE, SAUCER and SPOON.
Where is each answer on the July 20 Strands board?
Here are all 7 theme words from the July 20, 2024 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FORK | 4 | row 4, column 5 | row 5, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| GLASS | 5 | row 6, column 3 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| KNIFE | 5 | row 7, column 3 | row 8, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| NAPKIN | 6 | row 6, column 6 | row 8, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| PLATE | 5 | row 1, column 2 | row 3, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| SAUCER | 6 | row 1, column 6 | row 3, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| SPOON | 5 | row 3, column 1 | row 5, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| PLACESETTING | 12 | row 8, column 3 | row 2, column 3 | bottom to top |
What did the July 20 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 8 words tile all 48 cells of the July 20, 2024 grid.
Spangram — 12 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-P-I-U-A-S, row 2 reads A-N-G-T-C-E, row 3 reads S-T-E-T-R-O, row 4 reads P-O-O-E-F-R, row 5 reads A-L-N-S-E-K, row 6 reads S-S-G-C-A-N, row 7 reads I-N-K-A-K-P, and row 8 reads F-E-P-L-N-I.
How hard was the July 20 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the July 20, 2024 puzzle lands in the average range — above 54% of all Strands puzzles.
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 20 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #139 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 20 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 20, 2024?
The Strands clue for July 20, 2024 is “A seat at the table”, on puzzle #139. It is answered by the spangram PLACESETTING, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 20, 2024?
The 7 Strands theme words for July 20, 2024 are FORK, GLASS, KNIFE, NAPKIN, PLATE, SAUCER and SPOON, plus the spangram PLACESETTING.
What was the big word in the July 20, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 20, 2024 is PLACESETTING, 12 letters long, running from row 8, column 3 to row 2, 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 “A seat at the table” mean?
The Strands theme “A seat at the table” for July 20, 2024 means PLACESETTING — 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 20, 2024?
Strands puzzle #139 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 20, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #139 rates average on a computed index, harder than 54% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 20, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Saturday, July 20, 2024 is #139, 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 2024, part of the full Strands archive.