Today's NYT Strands hints and answer — solutions to game #502, July 18

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Need help with Strands #502? Here are some hints and the answers

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Need a bit of help with NYT Strands today? No shame in that, and you've come to the right place. Below, we've compiled some useful hints for Strands #502, as well as the answers, should it come to that.

We'll start off with some clues, before building up to the full answer for Strands #502, so read on if you need a little help.

Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #502.

Today's NYT Strands answer — Today's theme and hints

The official theme for NYT Strands #502 is... "Abracadabra!"

And here's an unofficial hint from me: "Tricks of the trade".

If you're still in the dark, here are some useful words to give you those valuable clue tokens:

  • VAULT
  • TILERS
  • MAUL
  • MATEY
  • TREES
  • SPITE
  • LIPS
  • CAST

Still struggling? The spangram will give you a hint about the connection word. Today, it starts with 'I' and ends with 'C'.

Scroll down to find out what it is...

It's ITSMAGIC.

Today's Strands answers

So, what are today's Strands answers for game #502?

Drumroll, please...

  • ESCAPE
  • DISAPPEAR
  • LEVITATE
  • TRANSFORM
  • MULTIPLY

Strands #502

(Image credit: Alan Martin)

...and the spangram was ITSMAGIC.

Strands #502

“Abracadabra!”

🔵🟡🔵💡

🔵🔵🔵

Hi Strands fans. "Abracadabra!" can only mean one thing. This was always going to be a puzzle about magic - a word I could clearly see in the top-right corner.

But it wasn't an answer, so I knew it was part of a longer spangram. I then found ESCAPE in the top-left corner, which revealed the rest of it: ITSMAGIC was the full phrase.

But after finding DISAPPEAR in the bottom-right corner, I was left a bit stumped. Reluctantly I used a clue, which revealed LEVITATE.

I'm kind of lucky that was the word it showd, because it made finding the final two tricky answers a case of unpicking a couple of anagrams. ORFSMANRT on the left became TRANSFORM, while PLITYMLU was revealed to be MULTIPLY to complete the puzzle.

Yesterday's Strands answers

Reading this in a later time zone? Here are the Strands answers for game #501.

Strands #501

(Image credit: Alan Martin)
  • BOXES
  • MEZZANINE
  • BALCONY
  • LOBBY
  • WINGS
  • ORCHESTRA

...and the spangram was THEATERS.

Strands #501

“Find your seat”

🔵🔵🔵🔵

🟡🔵🔵

Hi Strands fans. As someone who was literally at the theater last night, this one was pretty straightforward.

I found BOXES on the right-hand side, followed by MEZZANINE below it, taking out the standout rare letters of 'Z' and 'X'. I then found BALCONY below, and LOBBY on the left to complete the bottom half of the board.

I then spotted the spangram. It was THEATER at the top of the grid, shaped (deliberately, I assume) like a proscenium arch. Lovely touch.

Two answers were left to find. WINGS was appropriately down the left-hand side, and that just left ORCHESTRA to complete the puzzle.

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Alan Martin
Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. He also handles all the Wordle coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game for the last several years in an effort to keep his streak forever intact.

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