NYT Connections Companion (#1,074) May 20, 2026: All the hints, clues, and answers today

Today’s Connections puzzle is relatively easier than what the editors usually serve up, but some users may get confused by the purple category words. If you’re in the same camp, we’ve got some spoiler-free hints lined up for you. These hints will nudge you in the direction of the answers. If that isn’t enough, we’ll give you one word from each category, followed by the list of themes, and then the answers. Here are all the NYT Connections hints, clues, and answers for today’s puzzle (#1,074, May 20, 2026).

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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 the game 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: ‘Pear’, ‘Pair’, ‘Pare’, and ‘Pere’)
• 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

• HIGH
• KEY
• INTENSITY
• INDEPENDENCE
• MIGHT
• MODE
• MEDIUM
• INTERVAL
• TRAINING
• OFF
• FORCE
• SIMMER
• CONCENTRATION
• GROUNDHOG
• THE LONGEST
• SCALE

Hints for NYT Connections (#1,074) May 20, 2024

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

• 🟡Yellow Group: Adjusting the heat while cooking.
• 🟢Green Group: Strength. 
• 🔵Blue Group: Essential characteristics of a musical piece.
• 🟣Purple Group: Popular movies ending in a common 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: High.
• 🟢Green Group: Concentration.
• 🔵Blue Group: Interval.
• 🟣Purple Group: Groundhog.

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: Stove Knob Settings.
• 🟢Green Group: Potency.
• 🔵Blue Group: Music Theory Concepts.
• 🟣Purple Group: “___ Day” Movies.

Answers to NYT Connections (#1,074) Today (May 20, 2026)

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

• 🟡Yellow Group: High, Medium, Off, Simmer. (Stove Knob Settings)

This group should not have given you any problems. Simmer is the obvious word that sparks the connection with the rest of the three members.

• 🟢Green Group: Concentration, Force, Intensity, Might. (Potency)

Some may have been confused by ‘High’ being on the grid, but if you got the Yellow group before Green, this would not have been a problem.

• 🔵Blue Group: Interval, Key, Mode, Scale. (Music Theory Concepts)

Mode, Medium, and Scale could also be mathematical terms, but ‘Interval’ makes this group easy to solve.

• 🟣Purple Group: Groundhog, Independence, Training, The Longest (“___ Day” Movies)

Film nerds and cinephiles would’ve loved this one. These are some of the most popular movies of the last few decades: Groundhog Day, Independence Day, Training Day, and The Longest Day.

Answers to yesterday’s puzzle

• 🟡Yellow Group: Babble, Cry, Nurse, Teethe. (Things Babies Do)
• 🟢Green Group: Alter, Cook, Doctor, Fudge. (Modify Deceptively)
• 🔵Blue Group: Blubber, Deenie, Forever, Superfudge. (Judy Blume Books)
• 🟣Purple Group: Founder, Salon, Surgeon, Trot. (Fish Minus A Letter)

Answers to NYT Connections (#1,072, May 18, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Pair, Pare, Pear, Pere. (Homphones)
• 🟢Green Group: Blow, Crack, Pop, Split. (Rupture)
• 🔵Blue Group: Padre, Red, Royal, Twin. (MLB Player)
• 🟣Purple Group: Cheap, Earp, Lump, Wiki. (Fruit Anagrams)

Answers to NYT Connections (#1,071, May 17, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Duct, Line, Main, Pipe. (Conduit) 
• 🟢Green Group: Fleece, Hose, Squeeze, Stiff. (Swindle)
• 🔵Blue Group: Boil, Pour, Steep, Strain. (Tea-Making Verbs)
• 🟣Purple Group: Grade, Grammar, High, Primary. (‘School’ Modifiers)

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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!