There’s one set of words that jump out of today’s Connections grid, but they are a part of the larger red herring. If you fell for the ‘hair removal technique’ category too, you should use your remaining guesses carefully. We’ve got some spoiler-free hints down below to help you out. If those don’t help, we’ll give you one word from each category, followed by the list of themes. At the end of the page, you will find all the answers and their explanation. So, without further ado, here are all the hints, clues, and answers to the NYT Connections puzzle today (#1,123, July 8, 2026).
In This Article
What is Connections?
Connections is one of the most popular word games from The New York Times, only trailing behind Wordle. The rules of the game are simple. You are presented with a 16-word grid where you’re supposed to find the entries that share something in common. There are a total of 4 groups, each consisting of 4 letters, that you must find. The Yellow group is the easiest to spot, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple. Sometimes, there are a couple of red herrings to throw you off and make the puzzle more interesting. You can play Connections in the NYT Games app or on the NYT website.
Here’s your grid for today
- DRIFT
- PLANE
- WAX
- PLOT
- PLUCK
- CARDS
- SHAVE
- THREAD
- GRATE
- PICK
- WORSHIP
- TAP
- LORDS
- STRUM
- THEME
- SLIVER
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,123) July 8, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Slice up.
- 🟢Green Group: Unifying concept.
- 🔵Blue Group: Playing the six-string.
- 🟣Purple Group: Preceded by the word for ‘place of residence’.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Grate.
- 🟢Green Group: Drift.
- 🔵Blue Group: Pick.
- 🟣Purple Group: Cards.
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: Cut Into Thin Pieces.
- 🟢Green Group: Motif.
- 🔵Blue Group: Guitar-Playing Techniques.
- 🟣Purple Group: House Of ___.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,123) Today (July 8, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: GRATE, PLANE, SHAVE, SLIVER. (Cut Into Thin Pieces)
All of these words are used in reference to cutting something down into smaller or thinner pieces. ‘Shave’ is a part of the hair-related red herring in today’s grid.
- 🟢Green Group: DRIFT, PLOT, THEME, THREAD. (Motif)
A motif is an element that ties together a piece of art. These words can be used to describe different connecting patterns in a movie, book, or painting. ‘Thread’ also goes with the hair-related misdirect.
- 🔵Blue Group: PICK, PLUCK, STRUM, TAP. (Guitar-Playing Techniques)
This was a pretty straightforward group to guess. We wouldn’t be surprised if it was the first group that many of you guessed. ‘Pluck’ is a part of the larger red herring to throw you off your game.
- 🟣Purple Group: CARDS, LORDS, WAX, WORSHIP. (House Of ___)
House of Cards is a popular Netflix TV show. House of Lords is the upper chamber of the UK Parliament. House of Wax is a 2005 movie. House of worship is used to refer to a church, temple, mosque, synagogue, or any other place where religious people go to pray. ‘Wax’ is a part of the larger misdirect with ‘hair removal techniques’ as its theme.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,122, July 7, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Conservatory, Hall, Kitchen, Study. (Rooms In Clue)
- 🟢Green Group: All-American, Jock, Letterman, Team Captain. (Student-Athlete Designations)
- 🔵Blue Group: French, Lemon, Oliver, Plot. (___ Twist)
- 🟣Purple Group: Bernie, Colbert, Discount, San Anselmo. (Ending In ‘Sesame Street’ Character)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,121 (July 6, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Bombshell, Revelation, Shocker, Thunderbol. (Stunning News)
- 🟢Green Group: Atom, DNA, Solar System, Volcano. (Science Fair Model Subjects)
- 🔵Blue Group: Earthquake Pills, Iron Bird Seed, Rocket Skates, TNT. (Acme Products Used By Wile E. Coyote)
- 🟣Purple Group: Bumblebee, Grind Rail, Matcha, Tinderbox. (Starting With Dating Apps)
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,120) July 5, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Honey, Nuts, Oats, Seeds. (Granola Ingredients)
- 🟢Green Group: Cash, Card, Check, Wire. (Payment Methods)
- 🔵Blue Group: Centurion, Gold, Green, Platinum. (Amex Card Types)
- 🟣Purple Group: Tungsten, West, Win, With. (What ‘W’ Might Stand For)
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How did other solvers do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connection puzzle 2.5 out of 5. This puts it in the medium difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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