The NYT Strands answer for Tuesday, July 21, 2026, is puzzle #870, themed “Write there.” The spangram is STATIONERY, and the six strand words are all items you would find on a writing desk or in a stationery shop.
Hints for Strands #870 (July 21, 2026)
Hint 1: The theme describes both the place and the purpose – somewhere you sit to write a letter.
Hint 2: The spangram is also the name for the category of paper goods sold at a specialty shop.
Hint 3: One strand word is a compound of two common words referring to a printed heading on formal correspondence.
Hint 4: The shortest strand word has four letters and shares its name with a playing card.
Spangram: STATIONERY
STATIONERY spans the grid and names the category. The word traces to “stationer,” the medieval tradesman who sold books, parchment, and writing supplies from a fixed stall rather than a travelling cart – the stationary merchant gave us stationary goods. English speakers have confused STATIONERY with STATIONARY for centuries; the useful mnemonic is that stationEry contains an Envelope.
Strand Words: CARD, ENVELOPE, FILE, LETTERHEAD, NOTEPAD, SHEET
LETTERHEAD is the puzzle’s longest strand word. Before electronic communication, the printed heading on formal correspondence – bearing an institution’s name, address, and seal – was the primary signal of legitimacy; forging a company letterhead was a felony.
ENVELOPE, from the French “envelopper” (to wrap around), is the paper sleeve that carries correspondence between sender and recipient. The gummed seal was only standardised in the 1840s, the same decade the postage stamp appeared.
NOTEPAD, a modern compound, refers to the bound or glued stack of loose sheets that became ubiquitous in offices by the early 20th century.
SHEET is the oldest word in the set: from Old English “sceat,” originally a piece of cloth, it migrated to paper by the 14th century.
CARD and FILE round out the group – the thick paper stock of index and greeting cards, and the folder or binder that organises them.
Yesterday’s Strands #869 was themed “Very small” – spangram ITSYBITSY, with MINUSCULE, MICROSCOPIC, MINIATURE, TINY, and LITTLE as the strand words.
For more of today’s NYT puzzle answers, see our guides for Wordle #1858 and NYT Connections #1136.
