If you’re finding it hard to crack today’s Connections puzzle, we get you. Not only is there a big red herring up front, but the categories also deal with some niche subjects that may not be on everyone’s radar. To help you solve the puzzle, we’ll start you off with some general, spoiler-free hints to nudge you in the direction of the answers. Then, we’ll reveal one word from each category, followed by the list of themes. Finally, we’ll give you all the answers. So, scroll down to get all the hints, clues, and answers to NYT Connections today (#1,081, May 27, 2026).
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In This Article
What is Connections?
Connections is one of the most popular online word games from the New York Times, closely trailing behind Wordle. The rules of the game are simple. You are presenting with a 4×4 grid comprising 16 words. Each grid hides 4 groups consisting of 4 words with a common connection. The difficulty range of these groups varies from Yellow (Easy) to Purple (Hard). You get 4 attempts to solve the puzzle. 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
- BANJO
- OTHELLO
- AYE
- NUTMEG
- HAMLET
- PIER
- OPERATION
- MACBETH
- LEAR
- TROUBLE
- MONOGAMY
- COMMUNE
- TOWNSHIP
- BATTLESHIP
- VILLAGE
- STAIR
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,081) May 27, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Small settlements.
- 🟢Green Group: Brought to you by Hasbro and MegaHouse.
- 🔵Blue Group: Sounds like sight.
- 🟣Purple Group: Characters in Louisa May Alcott’s famous novel.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Commune.
- 🟢Green Group: Battleship.
- 🔵Blue Group: Aye.
- 🟣Purple Group: Banjo.
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: Small Community.
- 🟢Green Group: Classic Board Games.
- 🔵Blue Group: Homophones Of Ways Of Looking.
- 🟣Purple Group: Ending In The ‘Little Women’ March Sisters.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,071) Today (May 27, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Commune, Hamlet, Township, Village. (Small Community)
The Shakespeare misdirect threw us all off today. If you’re wondering, a hamlet refers to a small village, typically without a church.
- 🟢Green Group: Battleship, Operation, Othello, Trouble. (Classic Board Games)
Those who aren’t into board games would have had ‘trouble’ with this one. Battleship, Operation, and Trouble are made by Hasbro, while Othello is owned by MegaHouse.
- 🔵Blue Group: Aye, Lear, Pier, Stair. (Homophones Of Ways Of Looking)
Seasoned Connections players know that obvious answers often turn out to be red herrings. Since ‘Lear’ does not have ‘King’ ahead of it, it doesn’t qualify as a Shakespeare play. The homophones in this category refer to Eye (Aye), Leer (Lear), Peer (Pier), and Stare (Stair).
- 🟣Purple Group: Banjo, Macbeth, Monogamy, Nutmeg. (Ending In The ‘Little Women’ March Sisters)
The March Sisters in the novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott are: Jo, Beth, Amy, and Meg.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,080, May 26, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Cup, Medal, Pennant, Ring. (Championship Awards)
- 🟢Green Group: Concern, Focus, Point, Subject. (Matter At Hand)
- 🔵Blue Group: Airplane, Big, Clue, Twins. (‘80s Comedies)
- 🟣Purple Group: Enlist, Listen, Silent, Tinsel. (Anagrams)
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,079) May 25, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Cap, Pin, Shirt, Sticker. (Common Promo Items)
- 🟢Green Group: Jot, Scrap, Shred, Whit. (Tiny Bit)
- 🔵Blue Group: ATM, CYA, LOL, TIA. (Texting Abbreviations)
- 🟣Purple Group: Ball, Brow, Lash Lid. (Eye ___)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,078 (May 24, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Coop, Pen, Shed, Stable. (Farm Fixtures)
- 🟢Green Group: March, Picket, Rally, Strike. (Labor Protest Actions)
- 🔵Blue Group: Drum, Mask, Rattle, Staff. (Objects Used In A Ritual Performance)
- 🟣Purple Group: Herb, Hiss, Itsy, Mya. (Possessive Adjectives Plus A Letter)
How did other solvers do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connection puzzle 2.3 out of 5. This puts it in the medium difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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