NYT Connections #1,096 Guide: All the Hints, Clues, and Answers Today (June 11, 2026)

Today’s Connections puzzle isn’t as hard as it seems. With just a little lateral thinking, you can arrive at the answers in just a few minutes. If you can’t seem to find a breakthrough, we’re here to help you out. We’ll get you started with some spoiler-free hints to help you reach the answers on your own. If that doesn’t help, you can have one word from each category. Next, we’ll give you the list of themes, followed by the answers. So, without further ado, here are all the hints, clues, and answers to today’s NYT Connections (#1,096, June 11, 2026).

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What is Connections?

Connections is one of the most popular online word games from The New York Times, closely trailing behind Wordle. The puzzle presents you with a 16-word 4×4 grid. To solve the puzzle, you have to sort the words into 4 groups, with each group containing 4 words connected by a common theme. The Yellow group is the easiest to find, followed by the Green, Blue, and Purple groups. The misdirects and red herrings keep the puzzle fresh. You can play Connections in the NYT Games app or on the NYT Website. 

Some tips to solve Connections

Look for the obvious patterns: Not every category in the puzzle is confusing. The Yellow and Green category words are relatively easy to spot. However, if something seems too obvious, it could be a red herring. Typically, the first two categories comprise verbs and adjectives. The misdirects are often nouns.

Double-check your submissions: ‘Do not overthink’ is usually a good tip for solving most puzzles, but it doesn’t really apply to Connections. Before submitting a set of words, you should always check whether they fit somewhere else too.

Hit a dead end? Use the shuffle button: The shuffle button at the bottom of the grid exists for a reason. Placing the words in different positions can spark new connections. Think of it as a mental refresh. New patterns will emerge, and you may be able to find a breakthrough.

Tackle the Purple category with extra caution: The Connections team is known to serve up the toughest and most unexpected words for the Purple category. Here are some of the common tropes that you should look out for:

• Homophones (For example: ‘Where’, ‘Wear’, ‘Ware’, and ‘Weir’)
• Words within words (For example: ‘Slip’, ‘Hear’, ‘Keyes’, and ‘Undiagnosed’ could be ‘Words containing parts of the face’)
• Words minus a letter (For example: ‘Anther’, ‘Easel’, ‘Hark’, and ‘Lama’ could be ‘Animals minus starting letter’)
• Words preceded or followed by another word (For example: ‘Face’, ‘Sports’, ‘Note’, and ‘Year’ could be ‘____ Book’)

Here’s your grid for today

• DEVIL
• STRIP
• PAPAL
• BRONCHO
• VENO
• BRASS BAND
• UCONN
• RHINO
• CARDIO
• TROUPER
• VIKING HELMET
• BALANCE
• ELLE
• WEIGHTS
• FORERUNNER
• STRETCHING

Hints for NYT Connections (#1,096) June 11, 2026

Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.

• 🟡Yellow Group: Things you do at the gym.
• 🟢Green Group: Spiky.
• 🔵Blue Group: Think SUVs.
• 🟣Purple Group: Making a payment.

One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)

Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.

• 🟡Yellow Group: Balance.
• 🟢Green Group: Brass Band.
• 🔵Blue Group: Broncho.
• 🟣Purple Group: Elle.

List of Themes (Major Spoilers)

Maybe getting to know the common themes among the words will help you spot them faster. Here are all the categories for today.

• 🟡Yellow Group: Parts Of A Workout Routine.
• 🟢Green Group: Things With Horns.
• 🔵Blue Group: Homophones Of SUVs.
• 🟣Purple Group: Payment Apps Minus A Letter.

Answers to NYT Connections (#1,096) Today (June 11, 2026)

Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.

• 🟡Yellow Group: Balance, Cardio, Stretching, Weights. (Parts Of A Workout Routine)

A lot of you would have gotten this on the first attempt. Unlike the other categories, the Yellow group was straightforward today.

• 🟢Green Group: Brass Band, Devil, Rhino, Viking Helmet. (Things With Horns)

This is where things started getting dicey in today’s puzzle. While ‘Viking Helmet’, ‘Rhino’, and ‘Devil’ have physical horns, the horn in ‘Brass Band’ refers to the musical instrument.

• 🔵Blue Group: Broncho, Forerunner, Trouper, UConn. (Homophones Of SUVs)

Broncho: Ford Bronco. Forerunner: Toyota 4Runner. Trouper: Isuzu Trooper. UConn: GMC Yukon.

• 🟣Purple Group: Elle, Papal, Strip, Veno. (Payment Apps Minus A Letter)

Elle: Zelle. Papal: PayPal. Strip: Stripe. Veno: Venmo.

Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,095, June 10, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Fashion, Manner, Method, Way. (Technique)
• 🟢Green Group: Crust, Film, Scum, Skin. (Gross Things That Form On Wet Surfaces)
• 🔵Blue Group: Catwalk, Pit, Stage, Wings. (Parts Of A Theater)
• 🟣Purple Group: Character, Line, Page, Word. (Counted In Document Word Counts)

Answers to NYT Connections #1,094 (June 9, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Angel, Babe, Dove, Lamb. (Symbols Of Innocence)
• 🟢Green Group: Password, Secret, Spoiler, Surprise. (Things You’re Not Supposed To Reveal)
• 🔵Blue Group: Asterisk, Degree, Exponent, Trademark. (Things Represented In Superscript)
• 🟣Purple Group: Axe, Bone, Keys, Skins. (Slang For Musical Instruments)

Answers to NYT Connections #1,093 (June 8, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Delta, Island, Isthmus, Peninsula. (Landforms By Water)
• 🟢Green Group: Coconut, Dome, Melon, Pate. (Slang For Head)
• 🔵Blue Group: Mohawk, Punch, Sea Urchin, Volleyball. (Things That Can Be Spiked)
• 🟣Purple Group: Elephant, Invisible, Omega, Running. (“The ___ Man” Movies)

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How did other solvers do today?

NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connection puzzle 3 out of 5. This puts it in the hard difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!