The New York Times released its latest Connections puzzle, number 1116, on Thursday, July 2, 2026.
Players faced a grid of 16 words to sort into four thematic groups.
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According to Rock Paper Shotgun, the puzzle covered impersonation, historical terminology, nicknames, and sports venues.
Category Breakdown
The yellow group, titled "They Impersonate Other Things," included Copycat, Mime, Mockingbird, and T-1000. These words share a trait of imitation.
For the green category, "Old-Timey Names for Things We Still Use," the answers were Talkie, Looking Glass, Spectacles, and Water Closet.
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The blue category focused on words "Starting with Nicknames." Players grouped Billy Goat, Dan Dan Noodles, Rich Text, and Tom Tom.
The purple group, "Starting with Sports Venues," required assembling Court Jester, Diamond Ring, Field Mouse, and Track Record.
As reported, this puzzle balanced history, pop culture, and wordplay by hiding words inside others across two groups simultaneously.
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A new Connections puzzle launches at midnight daily.
