A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1063
hints & answers for May 9, 2026

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 May 9, 2026. 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 E, F, S and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

EPISODE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

UNITS OF TV PROGRAMS

Reveal all four words
  • EPISODE
  • FRANCHISE
  • SEASON
  • SERIES

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BOA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS WORN AROUND THE NECK

Reveal all four words
  • BOA
  • CHAIN
  • LANYARD
  • TIE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

FRIENDSHIP BRACELET belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

STRINGS TIED IN KNOTS

Reveal all four words
  • FRIENDSHIP BRACELET
  • MACRAMÉ
  • QUIPU
  • SHOELACES

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

CONVERSATION belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ PIECE

Reveal all four words
  • CONVERSATION
  • PERIOD
  • PUFF
  • THINK

Each entry comes before "PIECE" to form a word, expression or name: CONVERSATION → CONVERSATION PIECE; PERIOD → PERIOD PIECE; PUFF → PUFF PIECE; THINK → THINK PIECE.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: UNITS OF TV PROGRAMS
  • Green: THINGS WORN AROUND THE NECK
  • Blue: STRINGS TIED IN KNOTS
  • Purple: ___ PIECE

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

UNITS OF TV PROGRAMS

EPISODE · FRANCHISE · SEASON · SERIES

Green

THINGS WORN AROUND THE NECK

BOA · CHAIN · LANYARD · TIE

Blue

STRINGS TIED IN KNOTS

FRIENDSHIP BRACELET · MACRAMÉ · QUIPU · SHOELACES

Purple

___ PIECE

CONVERSATION · PERIOD · PUFF · THINK

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.