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July 5, 2026 
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In the Wordplay column for today’s puzzle, Caitlin Lovinger wrote: “I kept thinking that I had a handle on this puzzle’s parameters while I solved the theme, but I kept hitting entries that broke the rules I was setting. I loved this; the clues all follow the same simple pattern, but solving them takes just the right amount of creativity, kind of like some of life’s nicer problems.”
Puzzles You May Have Missed
Crossplay Tip
Play unhookable words for defense: If you’re considering a word like BLADE as the first move in your game, remember that your opponent can hook BLADE with three different letters, making BLADED, BLADER, or BLADES. If you instead play BALED, there is no way for your opponent to hook onto your play, limiting their choices. Likewise, choosing LOYAL (an adjective) over ALLOY (a noun you can add an S to) may be wise if you want to play defense. However, if you are losing a game and want to create scoring opportunities for yourself, do the opposite, and create all the hook possibilities that you can.
Connections Quandary
Here’s the hardest category from Tuesday, June 30. What connects these four things? See the answer in the P.S.
Strands
Last week’s hardest Strands puzzle was NOT A RED HERRING, from Wednesday, July 1 — 76.93 percent of solvers were able to complete it.
Last week’s easiest Strands puzzle was SUITE RE-LEASE, from Saturday, June 27 — 92.35 percent of solvers were able to complete it.
Strands puzzles last week — from June 26 to July 2 — were much harder than those from the week before.
Wordle Weekly Recap
Hardest word: PUPPY, from Tuesday, June 30.
Average guesses: 4.82, with 8.78 percent of players solving in three or fewer.
Easiest word: ACUTE, from Friday, June 26.
Average guesses: 3.82, with 39.29 percent of players solving in three or fewer.
The Wordle answers last week — from June 26 to July 2 — were a bit easier than those from the week before.
Spelling Bee Hive
Overall, the Spelling Bee hives last week — from June 26 to July 2 — were much easier than those from the week before. Of our subscribers who played last week, 39.13 percent hit Genius at least once.
Last week’s hardest puzzle: Wednesday, July 1 had the hardest pangrams, with only 34.67 percent of users finding at least one.
Wednesday’s pangrams: HICCUPED, HICCUPPED
Letter set: E C D H I P U
Relax With Us
I’m writing this on Friday while I work through a problem. I’ve never gone too far out of my way to watch the Fourth of July fireworks, as it’s often a hot, crowded affair here in New York. I have a friend whose old office had a great view of the Brooklyn Bridge, where the main festivities are this year; his company would graciously let family and friends of employees watch from the air-conditioned comfort of the 35th floor. But he recently got a new job, which he’s very excited about, so we’ve had to say goodbye to the annual fireworks party.
Now, it’s a big city, and I wouldn’t say the fireworks are known for their subtlety. There are plenty of spots available. The problem is that millions of my neighbors will be jostling for position in the mid-90s heat that’s forecast for tomorrow along with me. Do I set out early and try to land a premium spot as close as I can reasonably get to the water? Or do I risk it and leave later, and accept the fact that I might be watching with an obscured view? Ultimately, it’s a special year for the country, so it might be worth going the extra mile.
How are we doing?
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P.S. The answer to the Connections Quandary is that they are all what “draft” might refer to.
