A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1140
hints & answers for July 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 July 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 A, H, M and P. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

ABUELA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SPANISH RELATIVES

Reveal all four words
  • ABUELA
  • HIJO
  • MADRE
  • PRIMO

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CHOKE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

START TO CRY, WITH "UP"

Reveal all four words
  • CHOKE
  • MIST
  • TEAR
  • WELL

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

KWANZA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

AFRICAN CURRENCIES

Reveal all four words
  • KWANZA
  • LEONE
  • NAIRA
  • RAND

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

CLUB belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

STRIP ___

Reveal all four words
  • CLUB
  • MALL
  • POKER
  • STEAK

Each entry comes after "STRIP" to form a word, expression or name: CLUB → STRIP CLUB; MALL → STRIP MALL; POKER → STRIP POKER; STEAK → STRIP STEAK.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: SPANISH RELATIVES
  • Green: START TO CRY, WITH "UP"
  • Blue: AFRICAN CURRENCIES
  • Purple: STRIP ___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

SPANISH RELATIVES

ABUELA · HIJO · MADRE · PRIMO

Green

START TO CRY, WITH "UP"

CHOKE · MIST · TEAR · WELL

Blue

AFRICAN CURRENCIES

KWANZA · LEONE · NAIRA · RAND

Purple

STRIP ___

CLUB · MALL · POKER · STEAK

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.