A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1126
hints & answers for July 11, 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 11, 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, S, T and U. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CANNON belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CIRCUS EQUIPMENT

Reveal all four words
  • CANNON
  • STILTS
  • TRAPEZE
  • UNICYCLE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CALM belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

UNDISTURBED, AS WATER

Reveal all four words
  • CALM
  • FLAT
  • GLASSY
  • STILL

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BO PEEP belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

"TOY STORY" CHARACTERS

Reveal all four words
  • BO PEEP
  • JESSIE
  • SLINKY
  • WOODY

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

AARDVARK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

DOUBLE LETTERS APPEARING IN THAT LETTER'S ALPHABETICAL POSITION

Reveal all four words
  • AARDVARK
  • BOCCE
  • EBBING
  • TWIDDLE
Show categories only
  • Yellow: CIRCUS EQUIPMENT
  • Green: UNDISTURBED, AS WATER
  • Blue: "TOY STORY" CHARACTERS
  • Purple: DOUBLE LETTERS APPEARING IN THAT LETTER'S ALPHABETICAL POSITION

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

CIRCUS EQUIPMENT

CANNON · STILTS · TRAPEZE · UNICYCLE

Green

UNDISTURBED, AS WATER

CALM · FLAT · GLASSY · STILL

Blue

"TOY STORY" CHARACTERS

BO PEEP · JESSIE · SLINKY · WOODY

Purple

DOUBLE LETTERS APPEARING IN THAT LETTER'S ALPHABETICAL POSITION

AARDVARK · BOCCE · EBBING · TWIDDLE

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.