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NYT Strands puzzle #508, dated July 24, 2025, has the theme “Back away slowly.” Start with the graduated hints below; the complete answer list, including the seven-letter spangram, is farther down behind a spoiler warning.
Hints for NYT Strands #508
Use these clues in order and stop before the spoiler warning if you want to solve the board yourself.
- Theme: “Back away slowly.”
- Theme nudge: Think of things that would make you say, “Look out!”
- Hint-earning words: MOTH, PART, SCUFF, FUEL, CREST, and SHUT. Finding non-theme words earns in-game hints; these are suggested guesses for this puzzle.
- Spangram: It has seven letters. It begins at the left edge on row four and ends at the right edge on row five.
- Answer initials: HI, HU, GR, SN, SP, RA, SC, ST, and WA. WA marks the spangram.
What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?
The theme is “Back away slowly.” Parade’s clue, “Look out!”, points toward warnings and alarming sounds or actions.
How to use the hints without revealing the answers
Strands asks players to find theme words that fill the board. The spangram describes the theme and touches two opposite sides. Parade attributes these rules to The New York Times; Try Hard Guides adds that letters can connect in any direction without being reused or crossed, and that finding three non-theme words earns a hint.
- Try the six suggested non-theme guesses—MOTH, PART, SCUFF, FUEL, CREST, and SHUT—to earn in-game hints.
- Use the seven-letter spangram’s edge positions to narrow down its route across the grid.
- Use the answer initials as a final nudge before scrolling to the solution.
Spoiler warning: full answers for July 24
The list below gives all eight theme words and the spangram for puzzle #508.
Quick Recap
- GROWL
- SNARL
- HISS
- HUFF
- SCREECH
- STOMP
- RATTLE
- SPRAY
Spangram: WARNING
How many letters are in today’s spangram?
The spangram is WARNING, which has seven letters.
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