If you’re having trouble solving today’s Connections puzzle, you’ve landed on the right page. We’ll start you off with some general, spoiler-free hints to nudge you in the direction of the answers. Next, we’ll reveal one word from each category, followed by the list of themes. Finally, all the answers and their explanations will be presented to you. Here are all the hints, clues, tips, and answers to NYT Connections today (#1,101, June 16, 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 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
- BLACK SWAN
- EARRINGS
- BASKETBALL
- COURT
- GREEN GODDESS
- SUITE
- UNICORN
- RANCH
- BLUE MOON
- BLUE CHEESE
- RED TAPE
- PERFECT STORM
- RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS GEAR
- ENTOURAGE
- CAESAR
- RETINUE
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,101) June 16, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Goes on your salad.
- 🟢Green Group: Escorts.
- 🔵Blue Group: Rarity.
- 🟣Purple Group: Share the same colloquial term that rhymes with ‘Loops’.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Blue Cheese.
- 🟢Green Group: Court.
- 🔵Blue Group: Black Swan.
- 🟣Purple Group: Basketball.
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: Creamy Salad Dressings.
- 🟢Green Group: Attendants.
- 🔵Blue Group: Rare Things, Idiomatically.
- 🟣Purple Group: What “Hoops” Might Refer To.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,101) Today (June 16, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Blue Cheese, Caesar, Green Goddess, Ranch. (Creamy Salad Dressings)
Today’s Yellow group was pretty straightforward. ‘Green Goddess’ may have tripped some up, but the other 3 words formed an immediate link.
- 🟢Green Group: Court, Entourage, Retinue, Suite. (Attendants)
All of these words are used to refer to a group of people escorting an individual.
- 🔵Blue Group: Black Swan, Blue Moon, Perfect Storm, Unicorn. (Rare Things, Idiomatically)
A ‘black swan’ event is one that happens unexpectedly against all odds. ‘One in a blue moon’ is used to refer to something that happens very rarely. ‘A perfect storm’ is when multiple factors come together to create an exceptionally bad situation. A ‘unicorn’ is used to refer to something that isn’t easily spotted.
- 🟣Purple Group: Basketball, Earrings, Red Tape, Rhythmic Gymnastics Gear. (What “Hoops” Might Refer To.)
Basketball is often casually called ‘shooting hoops’ or just ‘hoops’. Hoops are also used to refer to earrings with large cavities. Dealing with red tape in bureaucracy is often referred to as ‘jumping through hoops’. A hoop is also a large ring used in rhythmic gymnastics routines.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,100, June 15, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Legs, Momentum, Stamina, Traction. (Staying Power)
- 🟢Green Group: Accessorize, Change, Primp, Shower. (Get Ready For A Night Out)
- 🔵Blue Group: Dog, Dragon, Horse, Snake. (Chinese Zodiac Animals)
- 🟣Purple Group: Anemone, Larkspur, Monkshood, Phlox. (Flowers)
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,099) June 14, 2026
- 🟡Yellow Group: Banana Peel, Cream Pie, Rubber Chicken, Seltzer Bottle. (Classic Slapstick Props)
- 🟢Green Group: Globe, Grindstone, Gyroscope, Roulette Wheel. (Things That Spin)
- 🔵Blue Group: Caterpillar, Pocket Watch, Rabbit Hole, Tea Party. (Featured In “Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland”)
- 🟣Purple Group: Massachusetts, Master Of Arts, Milliampere, Mother. (What “MA” Might Refer To)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,098 (June 13, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Saucer, Spoon, Teacup, Tongs. (Seen At A Tea Service)
- 🟢Green Group: Classic, Hit, Oldie, Standard. (Enduring Song)
- 🔵Blue Group: Makeup, Miniature, Prosthetic, Puppet. (Used In Movie Practical Effects)
- 🟣Purple Group: Christmas, NeverEnding, Toy, West Side. (Words Before “Story” In Movie Titles)
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How did other solvers do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connection puzzle 2 out of 5. This puts it in the medium difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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