Today’s Connections puzzle is a wacky one. All of the entries in the grid consist of two words. The good news is that you only need to focus on the first word. If you’re struggling with the puzzle, we’re here to help you out. We’ll get you started with some general hints. Then, will give you one word from each category, followed by the list of themes. Finally, you can have the answers. So, without further ado, here are all the hints, clues, and answers to today’s NYT Connections (#1,097, June 12, 2026).
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In This Article
What is Connections?
After Wordle, Connections is the New York Times’ most popular word game. The rules are simple. You need to find words with a common theme and group them into 4 groups of 4. The 16-word grid is designed with an increasing level of difficulty. The Yellow group is the easiest to spot, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple. The misdirects and red herrings can trip you up, but they also make the puzzle more fun. You can have a go at the puzzle 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
- SCHOOL DAYS
- BED HEAD
- QUOTE UNQUOTE
- CURSE WORD
- COPY EDITOR
- SPELL CHECKER
- BANK TELLER
- PACK RAT
- CHARM BRACELET
- MURDER MYSTERY
- MIRROR SELFIE
- MOUTH GUARD
- PRIDE ROCK
- ECHO PARK
- DELTA AIRLINES
- HEX KEY
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,097) June 12, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Words that have a magic effect.
- 🟢Green Group: Collective way of referring to certain animal varieties.
- 🔵Blue Group: Duplicate.
- 🟣Purple Group: River-related.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Charm Bracelet.
- 🟢Green Group: Murder Mystery.
- 🔵Blue Group: Copy Editor.
- 🟣Purple Group: Bank Teller.
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: Starting With Incantation.
- 🟢Green Group: Starting With Animal Group Names.
- 🔵Blue Group: Starting With Synonyms For “Repeat”.
- 🟣Purple Group: Starting With Parts Of a River.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,097) Today (June 12, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Charm Bracelet, Curse Word, Hex Key, Spell Checker. (Starting With Incantation)
‘Spell Checker’ and ‘Copy Editor’ may have tripped some players up today, but this Yellow group was an easy one to spot.
- 🟢Green Group: Murder Mystery, Pack Rat, Pride Rock, School Days. (Starting With Animal Group Names)
A murder of crows. A pack of wolves. A pride of lions. A school of fish.
- 🔵Blue Group: Copy Editor, Echo Park, Mirror Selfie, Quote Unquote. (Starting With Synonyms For “Repeat”)
These words can be used when referring to replicating something or simply reflecting the sentiment of the speaker.
- 🟣Purple Group: Bank Teller, Bed Head, Delta Airlines, Mouth Guard. (Starting With Parts Of a River)
As far as Purple groups go, this one was not that hard to spot. Once the running theme for today’s puzzle became evident, so did the Purple category.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,096, June 11, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Balance, Cardio, Stretching, Weights. (Parts Of A Workout Routine)
- 🟢Green Group: Brass Band, Devil, Rhino, Viking Helmet. (Things With Horns)
- 🔵Blue Group: Broncho, Forerunner, Trouper, UConn. (Homophones Of SUVs)
- 🟣Purple Group: Elle, Papal, Strip, Veno. (Payment Apps Minus A Letter)
Answers to NYT Connections #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)
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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!
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