Looking for a different day?A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, July 11 (game #860).Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.NYT Strands today (game #861) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?• Today's NYT Strands theme is… In the Big AppleNYT Strands today (game #861) - hint #2 - clue wordsPlay any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.GABLEWAXYGRIPTILEDDATAHUGGERNYT Strands today (game #861) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?• Spangram has 11 lettersNYT Strands today (game #861) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?• First side: bottom, 3rd column• Last side: top, 3rd columnRight, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.NYT Strands today (game #861) - the answers(Image credit: New York Times)The answers to today's Strands, game #861, are…STOOPBOROUGHBODEGASUBWAYTAXIBAGELDELISPANGRAM: EMPIRESTATEMy rating: EasyMy score: PerfectIt took me a while to see BAGEL and DELI, possibly because I don’t associate them uniquely with New York, but this slight delay aside today’s game was a breeze.I even managed to spot the spangram before any game words — EMPIRESTATE towering from the top to the bottom of the board, much like the magnificent building — earning myself the Spangram First 100 times badge.As Alicia Keys sang, “concrete jungle where dreams are made of” — although this possibly doesn’t apply if your dream is acing word searches.Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, July 11, game #860)CHEESESOUPMILKTUNAPEPPERSALTNOODLESSPANGRAM: CASSEROLEWhat is NYT Strands?Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.