A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #746
hints & answers for June 26, 2025

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

This reference always shows June 26, 2025. It is released in at least one timezone; every answer stays closed until you reveal it.

Which group has you stuck?

Pick a colour. Reveal one step at a time.

Yellow group

Straightforward

1/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with C, D, L and P. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CHEESE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

COMPONENTS OF A SALAD

Reveal all four words
  • CHEESE
  • DRESSING
  • LETTUCE
  • PROTEIN

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with E, P, S and V. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

ENIGMA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

KINDS OF MACHINES

Reveal all four words
  • ENIGMA
  • PINBALL
  • SEWING
  • VENDING

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with D, G, M and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

DAMAGES belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

LEGAL DRAMAS

Reveal all four words
  • DAMAGES
  • GOLIATH
  • MATLOCK
  • SUITS

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, H, L and M. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BOJACK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ENDING WITH PLAYING CARDS

Reveal all four words
  • BOJACK
  • HAWKING
  • LOVELACE
  • MCQUEEN
Show categories only
  • Yellow: COMPONENTS OF A SALAD
  • Green: KINDS OF MACHINES
  • Blue: LEGAL DRAMAS
  • Purple: ENDING WITH PLAYING CARDS

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

COMPONENTS OF A SALAD

CHEESE · DRESSING · LETTUCE · PROTEIN

Green

KINDS OF MACHINES

ENIGMA · PINBALL · SEWING · VENDING

Blue

LEGAL DRAMAS

DAMAGES · GOLIATH · MATLOCK · SUITS

Purple

ENDING WITH PLAYING CARDS

BOJACK · HAWKING · LOVELACE · MCQUEEN

This puzzle’s recorded solution

The date and puzzle number identify this exact board. Use the individual group controls to compare its recorded categories and words, then return to the archive to find another puzzle.

About the answers and hints

Categories and answers follow the recorded NYT puzzle. Our hints are independent: some are original category clues, while others give the first letters of the four words. Each hint is labelled so you can choose how much help to take.

Group colours follow the puzzle’s yellow, green, blue and purple order, from the most straightforward to the trickiest. Your own experience may differ. The reference tiles may appear in a different order from your game. Picture puzzles have separately hidden descriptions, since a description can give away the wordplay.

The daily page starts with the UTC puzzle date and, with JavaScript enabled, checks the puzzle for your local time zone. Every reveal starts closed when the date changes. Play Connections at The New York Times or contact us about a correction.