#508Thursday, July 24, 2025
Strands answers for July 24, 2025 — “Back away slowly” (#508)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for July 24, 2025 (puzzle #508) is WARNING, a 7-letter answer to the theme "Back away slowly". The 8 theme words are GROWL, HISS, HUFF, RATTLE, SCREECH, SNARL, SPRAY and STOMP.
Where is each answer on the July 24 Strands board?
Here are all 8 theme words from the July 24, 2025 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GROWL | 5 | row 1, column 3 | row 1, column 6 | left to right |
| HISS | 4 | row 2, column 3 | row 3, column 6 | left to right |
| HUFF | 4 | row 7, column 6 | row 6, column 3 | right to left |
| RATTLE | 6 | row 7, column 3 | row 8, column 6 | left to right |
| SCREECH | 7 | row 6, column 6 | row 5, column 2 | right to left |
| SNARL | 5 | row 1, column 1 | row 2, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| SPRAY | 5 | row 8, column 1 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| STOMP | 5 | row 4, column 4 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| WARNING | 7 | row 4, column 1 | row 5, column 6 | left to right |
What did the July 24 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 9 words tile all 48 cells of the July 24, 2025 grid.
Spangram — 7 letters8 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 S-N-G-R-O-L, row 2 reads A-L-H-I-S-W, row 3 reads R-A-R-N-I-S, row 4 reads W-O-T-S-E-N, row 5 reads M-H-C-E-R-G, row 6 reads P-Y-F-F-C-S, row 7 reads A-R-R-A-U-H, and row 8 reads S-P-T-T-L-E.
How hard was the July 24 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #508 comes out easy, ahead of 3% 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 24 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #508 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 24 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on July 24, 2025?
The Strands clue for July 24, 2025 is “Back away slowly”, on puzzle #508. It is answered by the spangram WARNING, and all 8 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on July 24, 2025?
The 8 Strands theme words for July 24, 2025 are GROWL, HISS, HUFF, RATTLE, SCREECH, SNARL, SPRAY and STOMP, plus the spangram WARNING.
What was the big word in the July 24, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for July 24, 2025 is WARNING, 7 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 5, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Back away slowly” mean?
The Strands theme “Back away slowly” for July 24, 2025 means WARNING — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 8 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands July 24, 2025?
Strands puzzle #508 has 8 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the July 24, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #508 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 3% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on July 24, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, July 24, 2025 is #508, 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.