Want a different day?
A new NYT Connections puzzle appears every day at midnight for your time zone – which means some people are still playing “today’s game” while others are playing “yesterday’s.” If you’re looking for Saturday’s puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections Tips and Answers for Saturday, July 18 (Thu #1133).
Good morning! Let’s play Connections, the clever word game from the New York Times that challenges you to group answers into different categories. This can be difficult, so read on if you need tips on connections.
What should you do once you’re done? Well, play other word games of course. I also have daily Strands tips and answers and articles on Quordle tips and answers if you need help with those too, while Marc’s Wordle page today covers the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: The information on NYT Connections today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
NYT Connections today (set #1134) – words of the day
Today’s NYT Connections words are…
- TO CHANGE
- SWIRL
- LONG
- GAME
- POKER
- PAIR
- FLUSH
- RIGHT
- RELAY
- SYNCHRONIZATION
- DRAIN
- FUSE
- CONNECT
- BREAKER
- RECHARGE
- JOIN
NYT Connections today (game #1134) – clue #1 – group clues
What are the clues for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: Elements of an electrical loop
- GREEN: Stay Together, Technically
- BLUE: What are toilets for?
- PURPLE: Add a word that rhymes with “race”
Need more clues?
We’re firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four themed answers are for today’s NYT Connections riddles…
NYT Connections today (game #1134) – clue #2 – group answers
What are the answers for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: CIRCUIT COMPONENTS
- GREEN: NUMERICAL COUPLING VERBS
- BLUE: WHAT THE TOILET DOES
- PURPLE: ____ FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
That’s right, the answers are below, so DON’T SCROLL FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections today (game #1134) – the answers
The answers to today’s Connections game #1134 are…
- YELLOW: CIRCUIT COMPONENTS: CIRCUIT BREAKER, FUSE, RELAY, SWITCH
- GREEN: NUMERIC COUPLING VERBS: CONNECT, JOIN, PAIR, SYNCHRONIZE
- BLUE: THINGS THE TOILET DOES: DRAIN, RINSE, RECHARGE, SWIRL
- PURPLE: ____ FACIAL EXPRESSIONS: GAME, LONG, POKER, STRAIGHT
- My rating: Hard
- My rating: 1 error
My mistake came from including FUSE instead of SYNC in the group that became DIGITAL COUPLING VERBS. Although I would argue that FUSE could be classified as a coupling verb, I attempted this grouping before seeing the much more appropriate CIRCUIT COMPONENTS.
It didn’t matter, though, because I managed to get a purple first – thanks in large part to POKER and the automatic singing of Lady Gaga’s first hit. Impassive face.
From there, GAME and STRAIGHT automatically followed, along with the punchline of the only joke I remember: a depressed horse walks into a bar and the bartender asks him “why the long head”?
Meanwhile, the things toilets do eluded me.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections Answers (Saturday July 18, 2026, Thu #1133)
- YELLOW: COMMITTING A BASKETBALL VIOLATION: CARRY, DOUBLE DRIBLE, GOALKEEPER, TRAVEL
- GREEN: BELIEF: ATTITUDE, MIND, OPINION, VIEW
- BLUE: THINGS FOLLOWED IN VIDEO GAMES: HEALTH, LIVES, SCORE, TIME
- PURPLE: WORDS AFTER “POP”: CULTURE, FLY, QUIZ, PIE
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games created by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four elements that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow is a little more difficult, blue is often quite difficult, and purple is usually very difficult.
On the plus side, you technically don’t need to solve the final question, as you will be able to answer it through a process of elimination. Additionally, you can make up to four mistakes, giving you some breathing room.
However, it’s a bit more complex than something like Wordle, and the game provides plenty of opportunities to trip you up with tricks. For example, watch out for homophones and other puns that could obscure the answers.
It is playable for free via the NYT Games website on computer or mobile.
