A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1122
hints & answers for July 7, 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 July 7, 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, H, K and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CONSERVATORY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ROOMS IN CLUE

Reveal all four words
  • CONSERVATORY
  • HALL
  • KITCHEN
  • STUDY

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ALL-AMERICAN belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

STUDENT-ATHLETE DESIGNATIONS

Reveal all four words
  • ALL-AMERICAN
  • JOCK
  • LETTERMAN
  • TEAM CAPTAIN

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

FRENCH belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ TWIST

Reveal all four words
  • FRENCH
  • LEMON
  • OLIVER
  • PLOT

Each entry comes before "TWIST" to form a word, expression or name: FRENCH → FRENCH TWIST; LEMON → LEMON TWIST; OLIVER → OLIVER TWIST; PLOT → PLOT TWIST.

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BERNIE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ENDING IN "SESAME STREET" CHARACTERS

Reveal all four words
  • BERNIE
  • COLBERT
  • DISCOUNT
  • SAN ANSELMO
Show categories only
  • Yellow: ROOMS IN CLUE
  • Green: STUDENT-ATHLETE DESIGNATIONS
  • Blue: ___ TWIST
  • Purple: ENDING IN "SESAME STREET" CHARACTERS

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

ROOMS IN CLUE

CONSERVATORY · HALL · KITCHEN · STUDY

Green

STUDENT-ATHLETE DESIGNATIONS

ALL-AMERICAN · JOCK · LETTERMAN · TEAM CAPTAIN

Blue

___ TWIST

FRENCH · LEMON · OLIVER · PLOT

Purple

ENDING IN "SESAME STREET" CHARACTERS

BERNIE · COLBERT · DISCOUNT · SAN ANSELMO

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.