DEVIOUSPuzzle #1141

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1141) – Today's Puzzle, Jul 26

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by locking in the yellow group ("BABY MILESTONES") first to narrow the grid from 16 to 12 words.”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: July 26, 2026

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#1140, Jul 25)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

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

CRAWLING hint: In the context of baby milestones, "CRAWLING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FIRST WORDS hint: In the context of baby milestones, "FIRST WORDS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ROLLING OVER hint: In the context of baby milestones, "ROLLING OVER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SOLID FOOD hint: In the context of baby milestones, "SOLID FOOD" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BLACKBERRY hint: In the context of outmoded consumer tech, "BLACKBERRY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DISCMAN hint: In the context of outmoded consumer tech, "DISCMAN" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DVD PLAYER hint: In the context of outmoded consumer tech, "DVD PLAYER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PLASMA TV hint: In the context of outmoded consumer tech, "PLASMA TV" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

APRIL SHOWERS hint: In the context of expressions for rain, "APRIL SHOWERS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LIQUID SUNSHINE hint: In the context of expressions for rain, "LIQUID SUNSHINE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SCOTCH MIST hint: In the context of expressions for rain, "SCOTCH MIST" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WET WEATHER hint: In the context of expressions for rain, "WET WEATHER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CARAPACE hint: In the context of what "shell" might refer to, "CARAPACE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

GAS STATION hint: In the context of what "shell" might refer to, "GAS STATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PASTRY CRUST hint: In the context of what "shell" might refer to, "PASTRY CRUST" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ROWING BOAT hint: In the context of what "shell" might refer to, "ROWING BOAT" 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.

Decoys between BABY MILESTONES and OUTMODED CONSUMER TECH

Words like CRAWLING and BLACKBERRY appear to overlap in everyday usage, but their true connections belong to separate categories.

Wordplay Red Herrings in "WHAT "SHELL" MIGHT REFER TO"

The purple category ("WHAT "SHELL" MIGHT REFER TO") uses deceptive associations with CARAPACE, GAS STATION, PASTRY CRUST, ROWING BOAT. Look beyond surface definitions to find the hidden theme.

Today's NYT Connections Answers

Click to reveal the complete solution — all four categories.

Category: BABY MILESTONES (Straightforward) — Answers: CRAWLING, FIRST WORDS, ROLLING OVER, SOLID FOOD

Category: OUTMODED CONSUMER TECH (Medium) — Answers: BLACKBERRY, DISCMAN, DVD PLAYER, PLASMA TV

Category: EXPRESSIONS FOR RAIN (Hard) — Answers: APRIL SHOWERS, LIQUID SUNSHINE, SCOTCH MIST, WET WEATHER

Category: WHAT "SHELL" MIGHT REFER TO (Tricky) — Answers: CARAPACE, GAS STATION, PASTRY CRUST, ROWING BOAT

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

BABY MILESTONES

The words CRAWLING, FIRST WORDS, ROLLING OVER, SOLID FOOD all share a unique thematic connection as baby milestones.

CRAWLING

In the context of baby milestones, "CRAWLING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FIRST WORDS

In the context of baby milestones, "FIRST WORDS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ROLLING OVER

In the context of baby milestones, "ROLLING OVER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SOLID FOOD

In the context of baby milestones, "SOLID FOOD" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

OUTMODED CONSUMER TECH

The words BLACKBERRY, DISCMAN, DVD PLAYER, PLASMA TV all share a unique thematic connection as outmoded consumer tech.

BLACKBERRY

In the context of outmoded consumer tech, "BLACKBERRY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DISCMAN

In the context of outmoded consumer tech, "DISCMAN" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DVD PLAYER

In the context of outmoded consumer tech, "DVD PLAYER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PLASMA TV

In the context of outmoded consumer tech, "PLASMA TV" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

EXPRESSIONS FOR RAIN

The words APRIL SHOWERS, LIQUID SUNSHINE, SCOTCH MIST, WET WEATHER all share a unique thematic connection as expressions for rain.

APRIL SHOWERS

In the context of expressions for rain, "APRIL SHOWERS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LIQUID SUNSHINE

In the context of expressions for rain, "LIQUID SUNSHINE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SCOTCH MIST

In the context of expressions for rain, "SCOTCH MIST" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WET WEATHER

In the context of expressions for rain, "WET WEATHER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WHAT "SHELL" MIGHT REFER TO

The words CARAPACE, GAS STATION, PASTRY CRUST, ROWING BOAT all share a unique thematic connection as what "shell" might refer to.

CARAPACE

In the context of what "shell" might refer to, "CARAPACE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

GAS STATION

In the context of what "shell" might refer to, "GAS STATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PASTRY CRUST

In the context of what "shell" might refer to, "PASTRY CRUST" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ROWING BOAT

In the context of what "shell" might refer to, "ROWING BOAT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

BLACKBERRY, DISCMAN, DVD PLAYER, PLASMA TV sit alongside APRIL SHOWERS, LIQUID SUNSHINE, SCOTCH MIST, WET WEATHER and phrases like CARAPACE, GAS STATION, PASTRY CRUST, ROWING BOAT — 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

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.