Confused by today’s Connections grid? Don’t worry, we’re here to help you out. We’ll get you started with some spoiler-free hints to help you arrive at the answers on your own. If that doesn’t work, we’ll give you one word from each category, followed by the list of themes. If you just want the answers, scroll to the bottom of the page. Here are all the hints, clues, and answers to today’s NYT Connections.
Read Also: NYT Wordle #1846 Answer and Hints Today July 9: The word ‘today’ is about improvement or correction
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
- THROW
- VIRGIN
- SPIN
- PRAYER
- NA
- ROLLING STONE
- PERSIAN
- FIREBIRD
- G6
- SHAG
- ZERO-PROOF
- GRAND PRIX
- BILLBOARD
- TRANS AM
- PITCHFORK
- SPIRIT-FREE
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,124) July 9, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Does not contain alcohol.
- 🟢Green Group: Magazines.
- 🔵Blue Group: Different kinds of mats.
- 🟣Purple Group: Famous offerings from a now-defunct American automaker.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: NA.
- 🟢Green Group: Billboard.
- 🔵Blue Group: Persian.
- 🟣Purple Group: Firebird.
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: Non-Alcoholic Designators.
- 🟢Green Group: Music Publications.
- 🔵Blue Group: Kinds Of Rugs.
- 🟣Purple Group: Pontiac Models.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,124) Today (July 9, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: NA, Spirit-Free, Virgin, Zero-Proof. (Non-Alcoholic Designators)
These labels are used to describe non-alcoholic beverages. ‘Spirit-Free’ and ‘Virgin’ may have thrown some players off, as they point towards famous airline names along with ‘Trans Am’.
- 🟢Green Group: Billboard, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Spin. (Music Publications)
Today’s Green group was pretty straightforward. These are all popular music magazines/publications.
- 🔵Blue Group: Persian, Prayer, Shag, Throw. (Kinds Of Rugs)
Persian and Shag refer to floor carpets. A prayer mat is used to offer prayers. A throw rug is also used on floors, but it is smaller in size compared to Persian and shag rugs.
- 🟣Purple Group: Firebird, G6, Grand Prix, Trans Am. (Pontiac Models)
Pontian Firebird (1967-2002), Pontiac G6 (2005-2010), Pontiac Grand Prix (1962-2008), Pontiac Trans Am (1969-2002).
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,123, July 8, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Grate, Plane, Shave, Sliver. (Cut Into Thin Pieces)
- 🟢Green Group: Drift, Plot, Theme, Thread. (Motif)
- 🔵Blue Group: Pick, Pluck, Strum, Tap. (Guitar-Playing Techniques)
- 🟣Purple Group: Cards, Lords, Wax, Worship. (House Of ___)
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)
Read Also: Xiaomi 17T Review: A quiet performer that dazzles you with its cameras
How did other solvers do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connection puzzle 1.5 out of 5. This puts it in the easy difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
.){kind=link}