MEDIUMPuzzle #1085

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1085) – Today's Puzzle, May 31

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying THINGS THAT ARE YELLOW (BUTTER, PIKACHU...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: May 31, 2026

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#1084, May 30)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

Tap any word to see its Connections hint — what it means in today's puzzle, no spoilers.

BUTTER hint: In the context of yellow, "BUTTER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PIKACHU hint: In the context of yellow, "PIKACHU" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

RUBBER DUCK hint: In the context of yellow, "RUBBER DUCK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SCHOOL BUS hint: In the context of yellow, "SCHOOL BUS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BREAK hint: In the context of billiards terms, "BREAK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CUE hint: In the context of billiards terms, "CUE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

POCKET hint: In the context of billiards terms, "POCKET" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

RACK hint: In the context of billiards terms, "RACK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

JACK hint: In the context of slang for a sailor, "JACK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SALT hint: In the context of slang for a sailor, "SALT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SEA DOG hint: In the context of slang for a sailor, "SEA DOG" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TAR hint: In the context of slang for a sailor, "TAR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SASH hint: In the context of wood plus "s", "SASH" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SOAK hint: In the context of wood plus "s", "SOAK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SPINE hint: In the context of wood plus "s", "SPINE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STEAK hint: In the context of wood plus "s", "STEAK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

Hints uncovered0 / 16

Today's NYT Connections Hints for All Four Categories

Reveal progressively: see the category hint first, then the group name, then individual words — stop whenever you have enough.

🟡 Straightforward

🟢 Medium

🔵 Hard

🟣 Tricky

⚠️Traps & Misdirects Hints for Today’s Connections Puzzle

Today’s Connections puzzle includes words intentionally placed to misdirect you into wrong groups. These traps and misdirects hints reveal which words are designed to mislead, so you don’t burn your 4 allowed mistakes on deliberate decoys.

BREAK, CUE, POCKET, RACK

In today's medium category (BILLIARDS TERMS), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like BREAK, CUE, POCKET, RACK may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to BILLIARDS TERMS.

SASH, SOAK, SPINE, STEAK

The trickiest grouping today is "KINDS OF WOOD PLUS "S"". Words such as SASH, SOAK, SPINE, STEAK are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

JACK, SALT, SEA DOG, TAR

Be careful with overlap between JACK, SALT, SEA DOG, TAR and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "SLANG FOR A SAILOR" to trap unsuspecting players into using up their 4 allowed mistakes.

Today's NYT Connections Answers

Click to reveal the complete solution — all four categories.

Category: THINGS THAT ARE YELLOW (Straightforward) — Answers: BUTTER, PIKACHU, RUBBER DUCK, SCHOOL BUS

Category: BILLIARDS TERMS (Medium) — Answers: BREAK, CUE, POCKET, RACK

Category: SLANG FOR A SAILOR (Hard) — Answers: JACK, SALT, SEA DOG, TAR

Category: KINDS OF WOOD PLUS "S" (Tricky) — Answers: SASH, SOAK, SPINE, STEAK

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

THINGS THAT ARE YELLOW

The words BUTTER, PIKACHU, RUBBER DUCK, SCHOOL BUS all share a unique thematic connection as things that are yellow.

BUTTER

In the context of yellow, "BUTTER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PIKACHU

In the context of yellow, "PIKACHU" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

RUBBER DUCK

In the context of yellow, "RUBBER DUCK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SCHOOL BUS

In the context of yellow, "SCHOOL BUS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BILLIARDS TERMS

The words BREAK, CUE, POCKET, RACK all share a unique thematic connection as billiards terms.

BREAK

In the context of billiards terms, "BREAK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CUE

In the context of billiards terms, "CUE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

POCKET

In the context of billiards terms, "POCKET" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

RACK

In the context of billiards terms, "RACK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SLANG FOR A SAILOR

The words JACK, SALT, SEA DOG, TAR all share a unique thematic connection as slang for a sailor.

JACK

In the context of slang for a sailor, "JACK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SALT

In the context of slang for a sailor, "SALT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SEA DOG

In the context of slang for a sailor, "SEA DOG" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TAR

In the context of slang for a sailor, "TAR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

KINDS OF WOOD PLUS "S"

The words SASH, SOAK, SPINE, STEAK all share a unique thematic connection as kinds of wood plus "s".

SASH

In the context of wood plus "s", "SASH" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SOAK

In the context of wood plus "s", "SOAK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SPINE

In the context of wood plus "s", "SPINE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STEAK

In the context of wood plus "s", "STEAK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

BREAK, CUE, POCKET, RACK sit alongside JACK, SALT, SEA DOG, TAR and phrases like SASH, SOAK, SPINE, STEAK — a collision of distinct word groups and subtle misdirects.

The editor's sharpest trick is hiding a word-within-a-word: some of the multi-word phrases are not grouped by their topic but by what their first word secretly means.

How to Use Connections Hints

Everyone playing NYT Connections puzzle gets stuck at a different point. Some players can’t figure out a single word. Others have three groups solved and can’t find the fourth. Where you are stuck determines which connection hint you need.

A word in the puzzle has an unfamiliar meaning

Some words in today’s NYT Connections puzzle are uncommon. Connections editor Wyna Liu often uses words with specific or less familiar meanings, particularly in the green, blue, and purple categories. If you don’t know what a word means, you cannot reliably place it in a group.

Recommendation: Use the Word Hint. It tells you what the word means in the context of today’s puzzle. Tap any word directly on the board above to see its hint.

No groups are forming after reading all sixteen words

The connection between words is often not obvious from their meanings alone — categories are built around themes that require a specific angle to see. These category-level clues are the most useful hints.

Recommendation: Use the Category Hint. It points you toward the theme of a category without revealing the category name or which words belong to it. Tap “Yellow Category Hint” first.

You have a possible group but aren’t ready to guess

You think four words belong together but you’re not confident enough to guess. If you’re unsure, don’t guess yet — a wrong guess costs you one of your four mistakes.

Recommendation: Use the Category Name. It reveals the exact name of the category without showing you which words belong to it.

One word seems to fit more than one group

You have built a group of four words but one word in it could also fit somewhere else. NYT Connections editor Wyna Liu deliberately places misleading words on the board.

Recommendation: Use the Traps and Misdirects Hints. It identifies the specific misleading words in today’s puzzle and explains why they don’t belong where you think they do.

You know the category but can’t find all four words

You have identified the theme of a category but can’t find all four words that belong to it.

Recommendation: Use the Word Reveal. It uncovers one masked word at a time without revealing the full group. This is the most precise connection hint available.

One mistake left with two groups unsolved

You have one mistake remaining and two groups unsolved. If you guess wrong here, the game ends and NYT reveals all the answers automatically.

Recommendation: Do not guess yet. Use the Category Name for both remaining groups first. If that is still not enough, tap “Category Words” and reveal one word at a time.

You want today’s answers without solving the puzzle

Use the Answers section. It shows all four category names and the four words that belong to each one.

Recommendation: Go to the Answers section.

The puzzle is over but a category still doesn’t make sense

You can see the four groups and their words but the connection between them isn’t clear.

Recommendation: Use the Answer Explanation. It tells you exactly what connects the words in each category and why each individual word belongs there.

Browse Past Puzzles

View answers and hints for every previous NYT Connections puzzle.

Puzzle Archive →

Frequently Asked Questions

NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle by The New York Times where you group 16 words into 4 categories of 4 words each. Each category has a hidden theme color-coded by difficulty.

Yellow is the most straightforward category, Green is medium difficulty, Blue is harder, and Purple contains the trickiest, most misleading groupings.

Yes, NYT Connections is free to play once per day on the New York Times Games website.

A new NYT Connections puzzle releases every day at midnight in your local time zone (12:00 AM ET for US Eastern Time).

Naveed Ahmed

@NaveedAhmedDev•@naveedcolab

Lead Writer & Connections Puzzle Analyst

Naveed is a dedicated puzzle strategist and word game analyst who breaks down daily NYT Connections categories, uncovers tricky wordplay patterns, and delivers progressive, spoiler-free clues to help thousands of players solve every puzzle.