Today’s Connections puzzle is a tricky one. If you don’t want to risk losing your winning streak, take a look at the spoiler-free hints we’ve prepared for you. Those who need more help can scroll further to view one entry from each category and the list of themes. The answers and their explanations will be listed at the end of the page. So, let’s dive into all the hints, clues, and answers to NYT Connections today (#1,245, November 7, 2026).
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 the tiles with a common theme and group them into 4 groups of 4. The 16-tile 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
- POLO
- EASTER
- NEW
- CLONE
- RHODE
- RINGER
- SOON
- TREASURE
- HENLEY
- BOUNTY
- NORTH
- CANE
- SPOILS
- SOUTH
- RAGLAN
- BEAUTY
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,245) November 7, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: What a marauder of the seas gathers in his raids.
- 🟢Green Group: Different varieties of an upper body garment.
- 🔵Blue Group: Territories in the US.
- 🟣Purple Group: The latter parts of words used to describe massive wind movements.
One Entry Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Booty.
- 🟢Green Group: Henley.
- 🔵Blue Group: New.
- 🟣Purple Group: Cane.
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: Pirate’s Plunder.
- 🟢Green Group: Kinds of Shirts.
- 🔵Blue Group: First Words of US State Names.
- 🟣Purple Group: Ends of Storm Types.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,245) Today (November 7, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Booty, Bounty, Spoils, Treasure. (Pirate’s Plunder)
These words are used to describe the riches acquired by a pirate.
- 🟢Green Group: Henley, Polo, Raglan, Ringer. (Kinds of Shirts)
Henley – Round neck with some buttons. Polo – Soft collar with some buttons. Raglan – Contrasting colours for sleeves. Ringer – Colour bands on the neckline and sleeves.
- 🔵Blue Group: New, North, Rhode, South. (First Words of US State Names)
New England. North Carolina/Dakota. Rhode Island. South Carolina/Dakota.
- 🟣Purple Group: Cane, Clone, Easter, Soon. (Ends of Storm Types)
Hurricane. Cyclone. Nor’easter. Monsoon.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,244, November 6, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Constitution, Fabric, Makeup, Structure. (Composition)
- 🟢Green Group: Backup, Extra, Replacement, Spare. (Copy)
- 🔵Blue Group: Flatbed, Semi, Pickup, Tanker. (Kinds of Trucks)
- 🟣Purple Group: Hot Rod, Osiris, Traffic Cone, Woolens. (Ending in Parts of the Eye)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,243 (November 5, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Kitten, Platform, Spike, Wedge. (Kinds of Heels)
- 🟢Green Group: Anemone, Lotus, Narcissus, Rose. (Flowers)
- 🔵Blue Group: Pear, Raindrop, Speedback, Uvula. (Teardrop-shaped Things)
- 🟣Purple Group: Brando, Gig, Run, Whisker. (Liquors With Last Letters Changed)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,242 (November 4, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Doorstop, Flatiron Building, Pie Slice, Wedge. (Triangular Prisms With A Sharp Edge)
- 🟢Green Group: Bleach, Iron, Tumble Dry, Wring. (Words After “Do Not” on a Care Label)
- 🔵Blue Group: Loll, Poke, Putter, Shuffle. (Move Idly, With “Around”)
- 🟣Purple Group: Cracker, Fly, Wood, Works. (Fire __)
Read Also: Vivo X500 Series to launch in India soon, company confirms upcoming debut
How did other Connectors do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 3 out of 5. This puts it in the hard difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
 puzzle today (November 7, 2026).){kind=link}