The New York Times published its daily Connections puzzle for Saturday, July 4, 2026, challenging players to sort 16 words into four themed groups.
Puzzle number 1,119 uses color-coded difficulty levels, from yellow (easiest) to purple (most complex).
July 4 Puzzle Categories
The yellow category, "PERSIST," includes the words continue, last, linger, and stay.
The green category, "KINDS OF POEMS," groups ballad, epic, ode, and villanelle.
For the blue category, "TROPICAL DRINKS," the words are hurricane, painkiller, scorpion, and zombie.
The purple category, "SWEET ___," is a fill-in-the-blank theme featuring dreams, nothings, pea, and spot.
Players can use the digital Connections Bot to receive a numeric score and track performance metrics, including win streaks and perfect scores.
Sports Edition Highlights
The specialized Connections: Sports Edition offered a separate set of athletics-themed word groups on July 3.
Categories included "Move to Evade a Defender" (deke, juke, sidestep, spin) and "Dependable" (consistent, reliable, steady, unfailing).
Other groups were "Dodgers in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Familiarly" (Duke, Jackie, Pee Wee, Sandy) and "Pitching ___" (coach, machine, staff, wedge).
The New York Times updates its daily Connections and Sports Edition puzzles regularly.
