Game #1120 on July 5 gives a neat mix of instant hits and one tidy trick that will make you re-evaluate anything starting with W. Today’s Connections board is short, sharp and full of intentional overlaps.
Four groups lock quickly if you spot the obvious breakfast and payment clusters — the rest ask you to resist the urge to group by first impression.
SPOILER WARNING: The sections below name the groups and all answers for NYT Connections Game #1120. If you want to play without spoilers, stop now.
Today’s NYT Connections words
Here are the 16 words on the board, in the order presented:
- WIN | OATS | GREEN | WIRE
- WEST | CARD | WITH | HONEY
- GOLD | TUNGSTEN | CHECK | SEEDS
- CASH | PLATINUM | NUTS | CENTURION
Today’s NYT Connections hints
One-sentence, spoiler-light nudges for each group.
- 🟡 Yellow: Four things you’d be happy to stir into a bowl of granola.
- 🟢 Green: Four ways money can move from one place to another or be exchanged.
- 🔵 Blue: Four names associated with tiers of a specific credit card brand.
- 🟣 Purple: Four answers that point to what the letter “W” could represent in different contexts.
Today’s NYT Connections group titles
- 🟡 Yellow: GRANOLA INGREDIENTS
- 🟢 Green: PAYMENT METHODS
- 🔵 Blue: AMEX CARD TYPES
- 🟣 Purple: WHAT “W” MIGHT STAND FOR
What are today’s NYT Connections answers?
Below are the four correct groups and their members.
| Colour | Group | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟡 Yellow | GRANOLA INGREDIENTS | HONEY, NUTS, OATS, SEEDS |
| 🟢 Green | PAYMENT METHODS | CARD, CASH, CHECK, WIRE |
| 🔵 Blue | AMEX CARD TYPES | CENTURION, GOLD, GREEN, PLATINUM |
| 🟣 Purple | WHAT “W” MIGHT STAND FOR | TUNGSTEN, WEST, WIN, WITH |
Today’s Connections — expert analysis
The easiest entry point was the yellow cluster: HONEY, NUTS, OATS and SEEDS practically scream “granola” and are safe, non-overlapping picks. Similarly obvious was the green set of payment options — CARD, CASH, CHECK and WIRE — which pins down a functional grouping early and clears room to consider trickier overlaps.
The purple “WHAT “W” MIGHT STAND FOR” group was the puzzle’s hardest. WITH, WIN and WEST look like any other W-words, so the outlier TUNGSTEN (whose chemical symbol is W) is the invisible linchpin that makes the set cohere; players who group by simple surface meaning will miss that connection. The blue AMEX set also tempted misfires: GOLD and PLATINUM are both metals and could be pulled toward a metals theme with TUNGSTEN, while GREEN and CENTURION point to card types — and CARD itself sits in the payment cluster, creating tempting crossovers.
If you’re stuck, spend your first safe guess on the granola ingredients (pick HONEY or OATS) — it’s the lowest-risk four-word set and removes several decoys, leaving you to test whether GOLD/PLATINUM belong with cards or metals and whether TUNGSTEN is a metal outlier or part of a W-based group.
Difficulty: 3.5/5 — two obvious groups and two overlap-prone sets.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Game #1119)
For reference, here are the four groups from Game #1119 (July 4).
- 🟡 Yellow (PERSIST): CONTINUE, LAST, LINGER, STAY
- 🟢 Green (KINDS OF POEMS): BALLAD, EPIC, ODE, VILLANELLE
- 🔵 Blue (TROPICAL DRINKS): HURRICANE, PAINKILLER, SCORPION, ZOMBIE
- 🟣 Purple (SWEET ___): DREAMS, NOTHINGS, PEA, SPOT
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is a daily word game where you’re given 16 words and must sort them into four groups of four that share a common link. The catch: some words are plausible members of more than one category, so spotting the intended connection is as much about eliminating decoys as it is about spotting obvious matches.
How to play NYT Connections
- Select four words you think form a group; if correct they lock in.
- Repeat until all four groups are found or until guesses run out.
- Watch for overlap and look for the least obvious connecting thread when words could fit multiple sets.
Past week’s NYT Connections answers
Missed a day? Full solutions from earlier this week, newest first.
Game #1118 — July 3
- 🟡 POSITIVE FEELINGS: BLISS, FELICITY, HAPPINESS, WARM FUZZIES
- 🟢 RETRO EXPRESSIONS OF APPROVAL: COOL BEANS, FAR OUT, GROOVY, RIGHT ON
- 🔵 BAD THINGS TO GIVE SOMEONE: COLD SHOULDER, DIRTY LOOK, HARD TIME, RUNAROUND
- 🟣 WHAT THINGS PRONOUNCED “T” MIGHT REFER TO: GOLF ACCESSORY, GOSSIP, HOT DRINK, SHIRT
Game #1117 — July 2
- 🟡 THEY IMPERSONATE OTHER THINGS: COPYCAT, MIME, MOCKINGBIRD, T-1000
- 🟢 OLD-TIMEY NAMES FOR THINGS WE STILL USE: LOOKING GLASS, SPECTACLES, TALKIE, WATER CLOSET
- 🔵 STARTING WITH NICKNAMES: BILLY GOAT, DAN DAN NOODLES, RICH TEXT, TOM-TOM
- 🟣 STARTING WITH SPORTS VENUES: COURT JESTER, DIAMOND RING, FIELD MOUSE, TRACK RECORD
Game #1116 — July 1
- 🟡 THINGS NAMED AFTER PLACES: CHAMPAGNE, CHINA, COLOGNE, LIMERICK
- 🟢 BEST PICTURE WINNERS/NOMINEES: CASABLANCA, CHICAGO, FARGO, MUNICH
- 🔵 PLACES IN COCKTAIL NAMES: CUBA, LONG ISLAND, MOSCOW, SINGAPORE
- 🟣 STARTING WITH COUNTRIES: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, GUINEA-BISSAU, INDIANAPOLIS, NIGERIA
Game #1115 — June 30
- 🟡 DIVIDING STRUCTURES: FENCE, GATE, HEDGE, WALL
- 🟢 PARTICIPATE IN SOME WINTER OLYMPICS: CURL, LUGE, SKATE, SKI
- 🔵 COMMON RECYCLABLES: BOTTLE, BOX, CAN, NEWSPAPER
- 🟣 WHAT “DRAFT” MIGHT REFER TO: BREEZE, ON TAP, RECRUIT, SKETCH
Game #1114 — June 29
- 🟡 OLD TIMEY TROUBLEMAKERS: MISCREANT, ROGUE, RUFFIAN, SCOUNDREL
- 🟢 CONSUME WITH GUSTO: CRUSH, GUZZLE, INHALE, SNARF
- 🔵 PARTS OF A SPEAKER: CABINET, CONE, MAGNET, WOOFER
- 🟣 ENDING IN PARTS OF A TREE: EMBARK, GROOT, NUDIBRANCH, STRUNK
Game #1113 — June 28
- 🟡 HIGH-QUALITY: CHOICE, FINE, PRIME, SELECT
- 🟢 SIGNALS TO COMMENCE: BEGIN, GO, NOW, START
- 🔵 ACCESSORIES FOR A GUITARIST: CAPO, PICK, SLIDE, STRAP
- 🟣 THEY HAVE BOARDS: CHESS, CORPORATION, DARTS, SURFER
More daily puzzle help from HashTechWave
- Today’s NYT Strands hints, spangram and answers
- Today’s NYT Spelling Bee answers and pangram
- Today’s Wordle hints, clues and answer
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What time does a new NYT Connections puzzle unlock?
A brand-new puzzle drops every single night at midnight local time across your specific region’s time zone on NYT Connection official site.
Why do some words seem to fit into two different groups?
The puzzle is specifically designed to include “decoys” or overlapping vocabulary. Always look for a backup configuration of words before locking in an early guess to protect your attempt counter.
Can I review answers to older puzzles?
Yes — we keep the past week of solutions right here on this page. Scroll up to the “Past week’s NYT Connections answers” section for every recent grid, newest first, plus a full breakdown of yesterday’s puzzle.
