Early testers have rated today’s Connections puzzle 2.6 out of 5, but it is a tough nut to crack. The obvious red herring in the first row can be clocked easily, but beyond that, there aren’t many ideas that come to mind. Luckily, we’re here to help you out. As you scroll down, you will see some general hints to nudge you in the right direction. Then, we’ll give you one word from each category followed by the list of themes. Finally, the answers and their explanations will be waiting for you at the end of the page. So, here are all the hints, clues, and answers to today’s NYT Connections (#1,142, July 27, 2026).
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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.
Here’s your grid for today
- CART
- HORSE
- CARROT
- STICK
- KNITTING NEEDLE
- MAGNIFYING GLASS
- BEAM
- GRAVEYARD
- BELL
- ICICLE
- RINGS
- HEART
- PARADIGM
- STALACTITE
- DOPPLER
- VAULT
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,142) July 27, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Things used in a specific genre of Olympic events.
- 🟢Green Group: These things have the same shape.
- 🔵Blue Group: The word following these words gives them a new meaning.
- 🟣Purple Group: Found in a special kind of website.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Beam.
- 🟢Green Group: Carrot.
- 🔵Blue Group: Doppler.
- 🟣Purple Group: Bell.
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: Gymnastics Apparatus.
- 🟢Green Group: Long Tapered Things.
- 🔵Blue Group: Kinds Of Shifts.
- 🟣Purple Group: Icons On A Shopping Site.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,142) Today (July 27, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Beam, Horse, Rings, Vault. (Gymnastics Apparatus)
Balance beam, pommel horse, still rings, and vault are used in artistic gymnastics.
- 🟢Green Group: Carrot, Icicle, Knitting Needle, Stalactite. (Long Tapered Things)
These things have a spiky shape. If you’re wondering, a stalactite is a thin piece of rock hanging from the roof of a cave.
- 🔵Blue Group: Doppler, Graveyard, Paradigm, Stick. (Kinds Of Shifts)
Doppler shift (also known as Doppler effect) – Change in frequency of a wave in relation to an observer. Graveyard shift – A work shift that begins late at night and ends early in the morning. Paradigm shift – A change in understanding. Stick shift – Manual Gearbox.
- 🟣Purple Group: Bell, Cart, Heart, Magnifying Glass. (Icons On A Shopping Site)
Bell – Notifications/alers. Cart – Save for buying later. Heart – Wishlist. Magnifying Glass – Zoom in.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#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)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,140 (July 25, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Abuela, Hijo, Madre, Primo. (Spanish Relatives)
- 🟢Green Group: Choke, Mist, Tear, Well. (Start To Cry, With ‘Up’)
- 🔵Blue Group: Kwanza, Leone, Naira, Rand. (African Currencies)
- 🟣Purple Group: Club, Mall, Poker, Steak. (Strip ___)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,139 (July 24, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Babble, Drone, Ramble, Yak. (Talk At Length)
- 🟢Green Group: Home Run, Single, Strikeout, Walk. (Outcomes For A Batter)
- 🔵Blue Group: Jog, Prompt, Refresh, Spark. (Bring To Mind, As A Memory)
- 🟣Purple Group: Canter, Fryer, Llama, None. (Homophones Of Religious Roles)
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How did other solvers do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connection puzzle 2.6 out of 5. This puts it in the medium difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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