The popularity of NYT Connections keeps growing among word puzzle fans around the world. Launched by The New York Times in 2023, the game has quickly become one of the platform’s most-played daily brain teasers, right alongside Wordle and The Mini Crossword. Millions of players try the puzzle every day, putting their vocabulary, logic, and pattern recognition skills to the test.
But some days are tougher than others. If today’s challenge left you stuck, you are not alone.
For Connections #1122, released on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, we have put together a complete set of hints and answers to help you out. You will find spoiler-free nudges to point you in the right direction, plus the full category names and answers if you need them. We have also included some helpful solving tips to make future puzzles a little less frustrating.
Whether you are protecting a long winning streak or just playing for fun, this guide has you covered. Take a deep breath, and let’s solve today’s puzzle together.
How tough is today’s Connections?
As always, today’s puzzle gives you sixteen words to sort into four hidden categories. Figuring out where to start can be the hardest part, so we are here to help.
The New York Times rates today’s Connections #1122 as a 2 out of 5 on the difficulty scale. That means it is on the easier side, but don’t let that fool you. There are still a few tricky spots that might trip you up if you are not paying close attention.
To get you started, we have put together some gentle hints for each of the four groups. These will point you in the right direction without giving everything away. You will also find a few starter words to help you ease into the puzzle.
If you are still feeling stuck after that, do not worry. We have included the full category names and answers further down, so you can check your work or save your streak.
Take it one group at a time, and remember, even easy puzzles can have a twist or two. You have got this.
Today’s NYT Connection Hints for July 7, 2026 – Puzzle #1122
Today’s puzzle is rated a 2 out of 5 for difficulty, so it is on the gentler side. But even easy puzzles can have a few sneaky words that make you stop and think. Here is everything you need to get started.
Here are the some hints for Today’s NYT Connection Hints #1122 on July 7, 2026. See all four groups and the full solution.
🟨 Yellow group – These are characters you would find in a well-known murder mystery board game. Think about who the players can choose to be.
🟩 Green group – These are jobs or titles you see in college sports. Think about the coaches, players, and other important people on the team.
🟦 Blue group – This group is all about phrases that begin with the word “turn.” For example, turn something or turn and do something. What words complete these common expressions?
🟪 Purple group – These are all famous Muppets. If you grew up watching Sesame Street or The Muppet Show, these names should feel familiar.
NYT Connections Answers for July 7, 2026 – Puzzle #1122
Here are the complete answers for Today’s NYT Connection Hints #1122 on July 7, 2026. See all four groups and the full solution.
| Group | Difficulty | Category | Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🟨 | Easy | Characters in the game Clue | GREEN, MUSTARD, PEACOCK, SCARLET |
| 🟩 | Medium | College sports roles | COACH, PLAYER, REFEREE, RECRUIT |
| 🟦 | Medium | Words that follow “turn” | AROUND, DOWN, OFF, UP |
| 🟪 | Tricky | Famous Muppets | BERT, ERNIE, GROVER, OSCAR |
NYT Connections Tips That Actually Help
Don’t rush the first guess. Read all 16 words before you touch anything. The puzzle is designed to trick you, and the obvious answer is often a red herring.
Watch for crossovers. Some words could fit multiple categories. The puzzle-makers count on this. If you see a word that seems like it belongs in two groups, it’s probably the one meant to trip you up.
Hit Shuffle when you’re stuck. Rearranging the board can genuinely help you see connections you were missing. Fresh layout, fresh perspective.
Start with Yellow or Green. Knock out the easier categories first. Fewer words on the board = clearer path to figuring out the trickier ones.
How to Play NYT Connections
If you are not sure how to play NYT Connections, this guide will help. The game gives you a grid of 16 words, and your task is to sort them into four hidden groups of four words each.
Every group shares a common connection, which could be anything from types of food and famous names to common phrases or wordplay.
To play, you select four words you think belong together and submit your guess. If you are correct, that group disappears from the board and its color is revealed. Each color represents a difficulty level, with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple as the hardest.
You are allowed up to four mistakes, so do not be afraid to try out combinations you are unsure about. There is no time limit, so you can take all the time you need.
The puzzle is a fun way to test your vocabulary, logic, and pattern recognition skills. Start with the words that seem most obvious, save the trickiest group for last, and most importantly, enjoy the challenge.
Frequently Asked Questions
NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle game from The New York Times. The goal is to find groups of four words that share a common category or theme. There are four such groups in each puzzle, and you must identify all of them to win.
Players are allowed up to four incorrect guesses before the game ends. Each incorrect submission of four words counts as one mistake.
The categories in NYT Connections are typically color-coded to indicate their difficulty: Yellow is usually the easiest, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple, which is generally the trickiest category.
A new NYT Connections puzzle is released daily at midnight, local time.
You can play NYT Connections on The New York Times website or through their games app.
While this blog post provides hints to guide you, we encourage you to solve the puzzle yourself for the most rewarding experience.
