The answer to today’s NYT Strands (puzzle #859) for July 10, 2026 is ready. The theme, spangram, and all theme words are revealed below. Three spoiler-free hints appear first for anyone still working through the board.
Hints for NYT Strands #859 – July 10, 2026
- Hint 1: The in-game theme clue is “I think…” – a two-word prompt pointing toward today’s connecting idea.
- Hint 2: Every theme word on the board can follow a single common verb to form a well-known two-word phrase.
- Hint 3: The spangram is an 11-letter phrase of encouragement. It contains the connecting verb at its core and must touch both edges of the board.
NYT Strands #859 Answers – July 10, 2026
Spangram: WE CAN MAKE IT
Theme words (MAKE ___): BELIEVE, GOOD, HASTE, HISTORY, LOVE, MERRY, SENSE
The connecting verb is MAKE. Every theme word in puzzle #859 pairs with it to form a familiar phrase: MAKE BELIEVE (to pretend or imagine), MAKE GOOD (to succeed or fulfil a promise), MAKE HASTE (to hurry), MAKE HISTORY (to achieve something unforgettable), MAKE LOVE (to be intimate), MAKE MERRY (to celebrate), and MAKE SENSE (to be logical or comprehensible). The spangram WE CAN MAKE IT embeds MAKE at its centre, doubling as a self-referential clue: find the verb and you can make it through the rest of the board.
The in-game clue “I think…” steers solvers toward MAKE BELIEVE first – “I think” and “I believe” are near-synonyms, making it the most direct entry point to the verb. MAKE SENSE and MAKE HASTE tend to follow cleanly. MAKE GOOD and MAKE MERRY carry a slightly older register and may give pause. MAKE HISTORY often lands last: it stretches the verb furthest, from the intimate (MAKE LOVE) to the epochal, and requires recognising that the same four letters connect gestures as small as a celebration and achievements as large as a defining moment in time.
The spangram WE CAN MAKE IT is 11 letters and must touch both the left and right edges of the board – a useful constraint once two or three theme words are in place, since the remaining letter distribution significantly narrows the spangram’s probable path.
Yesterday’s puzzle solution is available in the NYT Strands July 9 full answer. Today’s other NYT puzzles are also live: the NYT Connections answers for July 10 (puzzle #1125) and the Wordle answer for July 10, 2026 are posted separately.
