NYT Strands July 18 hints and answers: Today’s theme, Spangram and all solutions revealed

The New York Times Strands puzzle is fast becoming a favourite for word game fans, just like Wordle and Connections. Every day comes with a new theme and a special spangram that ties all the words together. The July 18 puzzle is already here and if you’ve been trying but feel stuck, I’ve got you covered. From hints to the spangram direction and every solution, here’s everything you need to finish Strands puzzle #502.


The theme clue for today’s NYT Strands is “Abracadabra!”, which should immediately remind you of magic shows and tricks. So think about all the things you might see on stage when a magician performs.

If that’s not enough, here are the first two letters of each theme word to help you:

• ES
• LE
• MU
• DI
• TR
• IT (Spangram)

The spangram, by the way, is mostly vertical this time.


If you’ve been searching for the spangram answer, it is ITSMAGIC.

The full list of theme words for today’s NYT Strands is:

• ESCAPE
• LEVITATE
• MULTIPLY
• DISAPPEAR
• TRANSFORM
• Spangram: ITSMAGIC

That’s all for today’s puzzle. If you’re playing daily, I’ll be back with more hints and answers for the next one!