NYT Connections (#1,144) Hints and Answers To Make Light Word of Today’s Puzzle (July 29, 2026)

The special thing about today’s Connections grid is that it is composed entirely of single-word tiles. This doesn’t necessarily make the underlying themes easy to spot. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle, we’re here to help you out. As you scroll down, you’ll see some spoiler-free hints. This will be followed by the revelation of one word from each category and the list of themes. Finally, the answers and their explanations will be waiting for you at the end of the page. Here are all the hints, clues, and answers you need to solve today’s NYT Connections (#1,144, July 29, 2026).

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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

• CORK
• PEARL
• BASIC
• STAPLE
• MID
• WORD
• CHALK
• WHITE
• BLACK
• VANILLA
• GEM
• NAIL
• RIVET
• NUGGET
• SCREW
• PLAIN

Hints for NYT Connections (#1,144) July 29, 2026

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

• 🟡Yellow Group: Used to hold things together.
• 🟢Green Group: Unremarkable.
• 🔵Blue Group: Insightful advice.
• 🟣Purple Group: Things you’ll see at a place of learning, minus the common last word.

One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)

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

• 🟡Yellow Group: Nail.
• 🟢Green Group: Basic.
• 🔵Blue Group: Gem.
• 🟣Purple Group: Black.

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: Fasten.
• 🟢Green Group: Nondescript.
• 🔵Blue Group: Units Of Wisdom.
• 🟣Purple Group: ____ Boards In A Classroom.

Answers to NYT Connections (#1,144) Today (July 29, 2026)

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

• 🟡Yellow Group: Nail, Rivet, Screw, Staple. (Fasten)

These things are used to hold things together. You can find them in a toolbox.

• 🟢Green Group:  Basic, Mid, Plain, Vanilla. (Nondescript)

These words are used to describe anything that is unremarkable or bang average.

• 🔵Blue Group: Gem, Nugget, Pearl, Word. (Units Of Wisdom)

These words are used to describe insightful advice.

• 🟣Purple Group: Black, Chalk, Cork, White. (____ Boards In A Classroom)

Blackboard, chalkboard, and whiteboard are used for writing, while a corkboard is used to pin items.

Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,143, July 28, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Captain, Direct, Head, Lead. (Command)
• 🟢Green Group: Empire, Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp. (How Do You Like Them Apples)
• 🔵Blue Group: Camper, Clarks, Converse, Crocs. (Shoe Brands Starting with ‘C’)
• 🟣Purple Group: Annapolis, Bobsled, Everest, Ottoman. (Starting With Palindromic Names)

Answers to NYT Connections #1,142 (July 27, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Beam, Horse, Rings, Vault. (Gymnastics Apparatus)
• 🟢Green Group: Carrot, Icicle, Knitting Needle, Stalactite. (Long Tapered Things)
• 🔵Blue Group: Doppler, Graveyard, Paradigm, Stick. (Kinds Of Shifts)
• 🟣Purple Group: Bell, Cart, Heart, Magnifying Glass. (Icons On A Shopping Site)

Answers to NYT Connections #1,141 (July 26, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Crawling, First Words, Rolling Over, Solid Food. (Baby Milestones)
• 🟢Green Group: Blackberry, Discman, DVD Player, Plasma TV. (Outmoded Consumer Tech) 
• 🔵Blue Group: April Showers, Liquid Sunshine, Scotch Mist, Wet Weather. (Expressions For Rain)
• 🟣Purple Group: Carapace, Gas Station, Pastry Crust, Rowing Boat. (What ‘Shell’ Might Refer To)

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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!