Game #1132 — July 17 is live, and today’s Connections board serves up a tidy mix of obvious sets and one sneaky letter-play grouping. Expect a quick sweep through finales and arcades, then a small trap of overlapping language.
Below I break the board down: the words you saw, spoiler-light hints if you want a nudge, and a full reveal with targeted strategy so you don’t waste guesses on the usual decoys.
SPOILER WARNING: The sections that follow fully reveal today’s groups and answers. If you want to solve unassisted, stop now.
Today’s NYT Connections words
Here are the 16 words that appeared on the board for Game #1132.
- CRANE GAME | SATIRES | TICKETS | CARDINAL DIRECTIONS
- SWAN SONG | SUITS | ROBIN HOOD | PLOT SPOILER
- TREE TRUNK | TOKENS | SEASONS | EPILOGUE
- LAST DANCE | CLASSICAL ELEMENTS | FAREWELL | PINBALL
Today’s NYT Connections hints
Four spoiler-light hints to nudge you without giving everything away.
- 🟡 Yellow: All four answers are phrases used to mark or describe the final act or goodbye.
- 🟢 Green: Things you’d expect to find, buy, or play at an arcade.
- 🔵 Blue: Each word represents a familiar category that naturally comes in fours.
- 🟣 Purple: Each answer ends with a word that is also a part of a car.
Today’s NYT Connections group titles
The official group titles for Game #1132.
- 🟡 Yellow: “GRAND FINALE”
- 🟢 Green: “SEEN IN AN ARCADE”
- 🔵 Blue: “FOUR GROUPS OF FOUR”
- 🟣 Purple: “ENDING IN PARTS OF A CAR”
What are today’s NYT Connections answers?
Here are the four correct groups and the words that belong to each.
| Colour | Group | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟡 Yellow | GRAND FINALE | EPILOGUE, FAREWELL, LAST DANCE, SWAN SONG |
| 🟢 Green | SEEN IN AN ARCADE | CRANE GAME, PINBALL, TICKETS, TOKENS |
| 🔵 Blue | FOUR GROUPS OF FOUR | CARDINAL DIRECTIONS, CLASSICAL ELEMENTS, SEASONS, SUITS |
| 🟣 Purple | ENDING IN PARTS OF A CAR | PLOT SPOILER, ROBIN HOOD, SATIRES, TREE TRUNK |
Today’s Connections — expert analysis
The most natural entry point was the yellow set: EPILOGUE, FAREWELL, LAST DANCE and SWAN SONG are textbook synonyms for conclusions, so most solvers locked that in quickly. The green arcade set is almost as straightforward once you spot CRANE GAME, PINBALL, TOKENS and TICKETS sitting near each other.
The actual trouble came from the purple cluster — the title “ENDING IN PARTS OF A CAR” hinges on different word endings (SPOILER, HOOD, TIRES inside SATIRES, and TRUNK), which is a small-letter trick and therefore less obvious at first glance. That letter-level overlap also creates classic decoys: PLOT SPOILER can tempt you toward the yellow “finale” theme since it’s about endings, and SATIRES might look like a literary category rather than hiding TIRES. Other common traps were TICKETS and TOKENS, which strongly point to the arcade group but can also feel generic enough to be mistaken for event-related sets, and SUITS, which could be read as clothing until you see it as one of the four suits.
If you’re stuck and want a safe first guess, spend it on EPILOGUE (or any of the clear finale words) — that yellow set is the least ambiguous and will free up the board for spotting the trickier letter-based purple answers.
Difficulty: 2.5/5 — mostly straightforward categorical sets with one clever, letter-based outlier.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Game #1131)
For reference, here are the groups from Game #1131 (July 16).
- 🟡 Yellow (SKINCARE PRODUCTS): CLAY MASK, EYE CREAM, PEEL, TONER
- 🟢 Green (SHADES OF BLACK): CHARCOAL, INK, JET, PITCH
- 🔵 Blue (ASSOCIATED WITH PRECISION): BULLSEYE, CLOCKWORK, LASER, NEEDLE
- 🟣 Purple (STARTING WITH TINY MARKS): DOT MATRIX, PERIOD PIECE, POINT BREAK, SPOT REMOVER
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is a daily word-association puzzle in which players group 16 words into four sets of four. The sets can be semantic, structural, letter-based, or otherwise pattern-driven, and identifying the theme for each quartet is the core challenge.
How to play NYT Connections
- Scan the board for obvious groups of four (synonyms, categories, shared endings, etc.).
- Select words you believe form a group; correct selections lock in, incorrect ones reduce your remaining tries for that group.
- Repeat until all four groups are found.
Past week’s NYT Connections answers
Missed a day? Full solutions from earlier this week, newest first.
Game #1130 — July 15
- 🟡 TERMS FOR THE LEGAL SYSTEM: BAR, BENCH, COURT, TRIBUNAL
- 🟢 THINGS WITH LACES: BASEBALL GLOVE, CORSET, FOOTBALL, SHOE
- 🔵 KINDS OF SPORTS: EXTREME, MOTOR, RACKET, WATER
- 🟣 WORDS BEFORE “ROOM” TO INDICATE EXTRA SPACE: BREATHING, ELBOW, HEAD, WIGGLE
Game #1129 — July 14
- 🟡 CONTRACT: AGREEMENT, BARGAIN, DEAL, UNDERSTANDING
- 🟢 EDIT MENU OPTIONS: COPY, CUT, DELETE, PASTE
- 🔵 KINDS OF BASKETS: EASTER, GROCERY, LAUNDRY, PICNIC
- 🟣 SYMBOLIZED WITH ARROWS: RECYCLING, SHUFFLE, THIS SIDE UP, U-TURN
Game #1128 — July 13
- 🟡 INTERROGATE: EXAMINE, GRILL, PUMP, QUESTION
- 🟢 THINGS WITH HANDLES: BUCKET, DRAWER, MUG, UMBRELLA
- 🔵 FICTIONAL CATS: FIGARO, PUSS, SALEM, TOM
- 🟣 STARTING WITH SMOOCHES: BUSSIN, KISSER, PECKISH, SMACKDOWN
Game #1127 — July 12
- 🟡 REPRODUCTIVE PART OF FRUIT: PIP, PIT, SEED, STONE
- 🟢 BIT OF FRUIT-FLAVORED CANDY: DOT, NERD, RUNT, SPREE
- 🔵 VERBS IN A COLLEGE LIFE SLOGAN: PARTY, REPEAT, SLEEP, STUDY
- 🟣 STARTS OF U.S. CAPITALS: DEN, MAD, PHO, SAC
Game #1126 — July 11
- 🟡 CIRCUS EQUIPMENT: CANNON, STILTS, TRAPEZE, UNICYCLE
- 🟢 UNDISTURBED, AS WATER: CALM, FLAT, GLASSY, STILL
- 🔵 “TOY STORY” CHARACTERS: BO PEEP, JESSIE, SLINKY, WOODY
- 🟣 DOUBLE LETTERS APPEARING IN THAT LETTER’S ALPHABETICAL POSITION: AARDVARK, BOCCE, EBBING, TWIDDLE
Game #1125 — July 10
- 🟡 SMARTPHONE SETTINGS: AIRPLANE MODE, DO NOT DISTURB, HOTSPOT, LOCATION SERVICES
- 🟢 DESSERT MENU DESCRIPTORS: DECADENT, FRESH-BAKED, MOLTEN, À LA MODE
- 🔵 ’80S SYNTH-POP BANDS: DEPECHE MODE, ERASURE, NEW ORDER, PET SHOP BOYS
- 🟣 STARTING WITH BASEBALL CALLS: BALL GOWN, OUTKAST, SAFE MODE, STRIKE A POSE
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.
