New Delhi, July 12 -- The NYT Strands puzzle for Sunday, July 12, 2026, is #861. The theme is "In the Big Apple," and the spangram is EMPIRESTATE.

All seven theme words and the full solution are below. Three spoiler-free hints come first.

Hint 1: Every word in today's puzzle belongs to a single city. Not just any city - the one with its own nickname, its own energy, and its own rules about what a sandwich is supposed to be.

Hint 2: The words span everyday city life at street level: what you eat for breakfast, where you buy it, how you get across town, and the architectural feature outside your building that doubles as a front porch.

Hint 3: The spangram is ten letters. It names either the building that defines the city's skyline or th...