A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1079
hints & answers for May 25, 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 25, 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 C, P, S and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CAP belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

COMMON PROMO ITEMS

Reveal all four words
  • CAP
  • PIN
  • SHIRT
  • STICKER

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with J, S, S and W. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

JOT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

TINY BIT

Reveal all four words
  • JOT
  • SCRAP
  • SHRED
  • WHIT

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ATM belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

TEXTING ABBREVIATIONS

Reveal all four words
  • ATM
  • CYA
  • LOL
  • TIA

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

BALL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

EYE___

Reveal all four words
  • BALL
  • BROW
  • LASH
  • LID

Each entry comes after "EYE" to form a word, expression or name: BALL → EYE BALL; BROW → EYE BROW; LASH → EYE LASH; LID → EYE LID.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: COMMON PROMO ITEMS
  • Green: TINY BIT
  • Blue: TEXTING ABBREVIATIONS
  • Purple: EYE___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

COMMON PROMO ITEMS

CAP · PIN · SHIRT · STICKER

Green

TINY BIT

JOT · SCRAP · SHRED · WHIT

Blue

TEXTING ABBREVIATIONS

ATM · CYA · LOL · TIA

Purple

EYE___

BALL · BROW · LASH · LID

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.