NYT Connections Game #1141 (July 26) served up a tidy set of obvious pairs and one devilishly literal theme that tripped plenty of solvers today. The board mixed nostalgic tech, baby milestones and a quartet of rain phrases — with a “shell” group hiding in plain sight.
Read on for a quick spoiler-safe nudge, the full answers, and a short strategic breakdown so you can improve tomorrow.
SPOILER WARNING: The sections that follow reveal the four Connections groups and will contain direct spoilers for Game #1141.
Today’s NYT Connections words
Sixteen words — four groups of four — in the order they appeared on the board:
- SOLID FOOD | PASTRY CRUST | ROLLING OVER | LIQUID SUNSHINE
- PLASMA TV | SCOTCH MIST | BLACKBERRY | GAS STATION
- ROWING BOAT | FIRST WORDS | APRIL SHOWERS | DISCMAN
- WET WEATHER | CARAPACE | DVD PLAYER | CRAWLING
Today’s NYT Connections hints
One-line, spoiler-light nudges for each group.
- 🟡 Yellow: Things you expect an infant to do or experience in their first year.
- 🟢 Green: Tech that was once common in living rooms or pockets but has since fallen out of favour.
- 🔵 Blue: Four different ways people commonly refer to rainy conditions.
- 🟣 Purple: Four things that can reasonably be described as a “shell.”
Today’s NYT Connections group titles
- 🟡 Yellow: BABY MILESTONES
- 🟢 Green: OUTMODED CONSUMER TECH
- 🔵 Blue: EXPRESSIONS FOR RAIN
- 🟣 Purple: WHAT “SHELL” MIGHT REFER TO
What are today’s NYT Connections answers?
Here are the four groups and their members for Game #1141.
| Colour | Group | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟡 Yellow | BABY MILESTONES | CRAWLING, FIRST WORDS, ROLLING OVER, SOLID FOOD |
| 🟢 Green | OUTMODED CONSUMER TECH | BLACKBERRY, DISCMAN, DVD PLAYER, PLASMA TV |
| 🔵 Blue | EXPRESSIONS FOR RAIN | APRIL SHOWERS, LIQUID SUNSHINE, SCOTCH MIST, WET WEATHER |
| 🟣 Purple | WHAT “SHELL” MIGHT REFER TO | CARAPACE, GAS STATION, PASTRY CRUST, ROWING BOAT |
Today’s Connections — expert analysis
The natural entry point was the baby-milestones set: CRAWLING, FIRST WORDS, ROLLING OVER and SOLID FOOD are tightly tied and very literal, so those four make a safe first guess. Similarly, the outmoded-tech group is cohesive once you spot BLACKBERRY alongside DISCMAN, DVD PLAYER and PLASMA TV — all devices that feel delightfully yesterday.
The toughest cluster was the purple “shell” group because the word “shell” has many everyday meanings. CARAPACE is the biological shell, PASTRY CRUST is a culinary shell, ROWING BOAT points to a “shell” in rowing, and GAS STATION is the trick: Shell the brand. That brand-angle is the kind of lateral connection that can be missed if you’re scanning only for literal shells. Decoys that mislead were subtle: SCOTCH MIST and LIQUID SUNSHINE both scream weather and could lure you into thinking there’s a beverage or metaphor theme, while BLACKBERRY tempts fruit associations even though it’s intended as the phone. If you’re stuck early, spend your first safe guess on a concrete pair like CRAWLING and ROLLING OVER or on one of the obvious tech names such as PLASMA TV — those moves reduce the board’s ambiguity quickly.
Difficulty: 3.5/5 — A mix of obvious pairs and one tight, deceptive shell-themed group makes this board tricky.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Game #1140)
Quick recap of Game #1140’s groups.
- 🟡 Yellow (SPANISH RELATIVES): ABUELA, HIJO, MADRE, PRIMO
- 🟢 Green (START TO CRY, WITH “UP”): CHOKE, MIST, TEAR, WELL
- 🔵 Blue (AFRICAN CURRENCIES): KWANZA, LEONE, NAIRA, RAND
- 🟣 Purple (STRIP ___): CLUB, MALL, POKER, STEAK
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is a daily word game that gives you 16 words and asks you to sort them into four groups of four based on a shared theme. Categories can be literal, lateral, topical or punny, and the challenge is spotting which shared meaning links each quartet.
How to play NYT Connections
- Select four words you think form a group.
- Confirm the selection; correct groups are locked in and removed from the board.
- Repeat until all words are grouped or you run out of possibilities.
Past week’s NYT Connections answers
Missed a day? Full solutions from earlier this week, newest first.
Game #1139 — July 24
- 🟡 TALK AT LENGTH: BABBLE, DRONE, RAMBLE, YAK
- 🟢 OUTCOMES FOR A BATTER: HOME RUN, SINGLE, STRIKEOUT, WALK
- 🔵 BRING TO MIND, AS A MEMORY: JOG, PROMPT, REFRESH, SPARK
- 🟣 HOMOPHONES OF RELIGIOUS ROLES: CANTER, FRYER, LLAMA, NONE
Game #1138 — July 23
- 🟡 SPHERICAL THINGS: BASEBALL, GLOBE, MARBLE, ORANGE
- 🟢 IN AN ANXIOUS STATE: EXCITED, FEBRILE, FRENETIC, INTENSE
- 🔵 PARTS OF AN AIRPORT: APRON, HANGAR, RUNWAY, TERMINAL
- 🟣 ENDING IN GEOMETRY TERMS: APPOINT, DEPLANE, FELINE, JANGLE
Game #1137 — July 22
- 🟡 SYMPTOMS OF AN ALLERGIC REACTION: HIVES, ITCHING, RASH, REDNESS
- 🟢 ON A GOLF SCORECARD: HOLE, PAR, SCORE, STROKES
- 🔵 PLATFORM-SPECIFIC POSTS: PINS, SNAPS, TWEETS, VINES
- 🟣 FEATURES OF A ZEBRA: HOOVES, MANE, TAIL, WHITE STRIPES
Game #1136 — July 21
- 🟡 KINDS OF TOPS: CROP, HALTER, TANK, TUBE
- 🟢 SOFTWARE DOWNLOADS: APP, DRIVER, EXTENSION, PLUGIN
- 🔵 ELEMENTS OF A MUSICAL: BOOK, LYRICS, MUSIC, ORCHESTRATION
- 🟣 TELE___: GRAM, KINESIS, PROMPTER, VISION
Game #1135 — July 20
- 🟡 ANNOUNCE: BLARE, HERALD, SOUND, TRUMPET
- 🟢 THINGS TO CLICK: BUTTON, ICON, LINK, MENU
- 🔵 ASSOCIATED WITH PEARLS: BUBBLE TEA, OYSTER, SWINE, WISDOM
- 🟣 STARTING WITH ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: ALEXA, MEADOW, PORTOBELLO, SAKES
Game #1134 — July 19
- 🟡 CIRCUIT COMPONENTS: BREAKER, FUSE, RELAY, SWITCH
- 🟢 DIGITAL COUPLING VERBS: CONNECT, JOIN, PAIR, SYNC
- 🔵 THINGS TOILETS DO: DRAIN, FLUSH, REFILL, SWIRL
- 🟣 ___ FACE EXPRESSIONS: GAME, LONG, POKER, STRAIGHT
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.
