MEDIUMPuzzle #1097

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1097) – Today's Puzzle, Jun 12

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying STARTING WITH INCANTATIONS (CHARM BRACELET, CURSE WORD...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: June 12, 2026

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#1096, Jun 11)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

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

CHARM BRACELET hint: In the context of starting with incantations, "CHARM BRACELET" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CURSE WORD hint: In the context of starting with incantations, "CURSE WORD" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HEX KEY hint: In the context of starting with incantations, "HEX KEY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SPELL CHECKER hint: In the context of starting with incantations, "SPELL CHECKER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MURDER MYSTERY hint: In the context of starting with animal group names, "MURDER MYSTERY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PACK RAT hint: In the context of starting with animal group names, "PACK RAT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PRIDE ROCK hint: In the context of starting with animal group names, "PRIDE ROCK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SCHOOL DAYS hint: In the context of starting with animal group names, "SCHOOL DAYS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

COPY EDITOR hint: In the context of starting with synonyms for "repeat", "COPY EDITOR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ECHO PARK hint: In the context of starting with synonyms for "repeat", "ECHO PARK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MIRROR SELFIE hint: In the context of starting with synonyms for "repeat", "MIRROR SELFIE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

QUOTE UNQUOTE hint: In the context of starting with synonyms for "repeat", "QUOTE UNQUOTE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BANK TELLER hint: In the context of starting with parts of a river, "BANK TELLER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BED HEAD hint: In the context of starting with parts of a river, "BED HEAD" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DELTA AIRLINES hint: In the context of starting with parts of a river, "DELTA AIRLINES" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MOUTH GUARD hint: In the context of starting with parts of a river, "MOUTH GUARD" 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.

MURDER MYSTERY, PACK RAT, PRIDE ROCK, SCHOOL DAYS

In today's medium category (STARTING WITH ANIMAL GROUP NAMES), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like MURDER MYSTERY, PACK RAT, PRIDE ROCK, SCHOOL DAYS may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to STARTING WITH ANIMAL GROUP NAMES.

BANK TELLER, BED HEAD, DELTA AIRLINES, MOUTH GUARD

The trickiest grouping today is "STARTING WITH PARTS OF A RIVER". Words such as BANK TELLER, BED HEAD, DELTA AIRLINES, MOUTH GUARD are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

COPY EDITOR, ECHO PARK, MIRROR SELFIE, QUOTE UNQUOTE

Be careful with overlap between COPY EDITOR, ECHO PARK, MIRROR SELFIE, QUOTE UNQUOTE and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "REPEAT"" 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: STARTING WITH INCANTATIONS (Straightforward) — Answers: CHARM BRACELET, CURSE WORD, HEX KEY, SPELL CHECKER

Category: STARTING WITH ANIMAL GROUP NAMES (Medium) — Answers: MURDER MYSTERY, PACK RAT, PRIDE ROCK, SCHOOL DAYS

Category: STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "REPEAT" (Hard) — Answers: COPY EDITOR, ECHO PARK, MIRROR SELFIE, QUOTE UNQUOTE

Category: STARTING WITH PARTS OF A RIVER (Tricky) — Answers: BANK TELLER, BED HEAD, DELTA AIRLINES, MOUTH GUARD

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

STARTING WITH INCANTATIONS

The words CHARM BRACELET, CURSE WORD, HEX KEY, SPELL CHECKER all share a unique thematic connection as starting with incantations.

CHARM BRACELET

In the context of starting with incantations, "CHARM BRACELET" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CURSE WORD

In the context of starting with incantations, "CURSE WORD" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HEX KEY

In the context of starting with incantations, "HEX KEY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SPELL CHECKER

In the context of starting with incantations, "SPELL CHECKER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STARTING WITH ANIMAL GROUP NAMES

The words MURDER MYSTERY, PACK RAT, PRIDE ROCK, SCHOOL DAYS all share a unique thematic connection as starting with animal group names.

MURDER MYSTERY

In the context of starting with animal group names, "MURDER MYSTERY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PACK RAT

In the context of starting with animal group names, "PACK RAT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PRIDE ROCK

In the context of starting with animal group names, "PRIDE ROCK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SCHOOL DAYS

In the context of starting with animal group names, "SCHOOL DAYS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "REPEAT"

The words COPY EDITOR, ECHO PARK, MIRROR SELFIE, QUOTE UNQUOTE all share a unique thematic connection as starting with synonyms for "repeat".

COPY EDITOR

In the context of starting with synonyms for "repeat", "COPY EDITOR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ECHO PARK

In the context of starting with synonyms for "repeat", "ECHO PARK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MIRROR SELFIE

In the context of starting with synonyms for "repeat", "MIRROR SELFIE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

QUOTE UNQUOTE

In the context of starting with synonyms for "repeat", "QUOTE UNQUOTE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STARTING WITH PARTS OF A RIVER

The words BANK TELLER, BED HEAD, DELTA AIRLINES, MOUTH GUARD all share a unique thematic connection as starting with parts of a river.

BANK TELLER

In the context of starting with parts of a river, "BANK TELLER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BED HEAD

In the context of starting with parts of a river, "BED HEAD" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DELTA AIRLINES

In the context of starting with parts of a river, "DELTA AIRLINES" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MOUTH GUARD

In the context of starting with parts of a river, "MOUTH GUARD" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

MURDER MYSTERY, PACK RAT, PRIDE ROCK, SCHOOL DAYS sit alongside COPY EDITOR, ECHO PARK, MIRROR SELFIE, QUOTE UNQUOTE and phrases like BANK TELLER, BED HEAD, DELTA AIRLINES, MOUTH GUARD — 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.