A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1086
hints & answers for June 1, 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 June 1, 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, D, W and W. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CEILING belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ROOM FEATURES

Reveal all four words
  • CEILING
  • DOOR
  • WALL
  • WINDOW

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

NEWSPAPER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

OLD-TIMEY LOUNGING ACCESSORIES

Reveal all four words
  • NEWSPAPER
  • PIPE
  • ROBE
  • SLIPPERS

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CAT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SUBJECTS IN TENNESSEE WILLIAMS TITLES

Reveal all four words
  • CAT
  • MENAGERIE
  • STREETCAR
  • TATTOO

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

KEY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ RING

Reveal all four words
  • KEY
  • ONION
  • TREE
  • WEDDING

Each entry comes before "RING" to form a word, expression or name: KEY → KEY RING; ONION → ONION RING; TREE → TREE RING; WEDDING → WEDDING RING.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: ROOM FEATURES
  • Green: OLD-TIMEY LOUNGING ACCESSORIES
  • Blue: SUBJECTS IN TENNESSEE WILLIAMS TITLES
  • Purple: ___ RING

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

ROOM FEATURES

CEILING · DOOR · WALL · WINDOW

Green

OLD-TIMEY LOUNGING ACCESSORIES

NEWSPAPER · PIPE · ROBE · SLIPPERS

Blue

SUBJECTS IN TENNESSEE WILLIAMS TITLES

CAT · MENAGERIE · STREETCAR · TATTOO

Purple

___ RING

KEY · ONION · TREE · WEDDING

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.