If today’s New York Times Connections grid has you burning through your mistakes, you are not alone. Puzzle #1118 features some heavy misdirection, with several phrases seemingly fitting into a simple objects or descriptive theme before pulling the rug out from under you.
Below are strategic, spoiler-free hints to help you group today’s words on your own, followed by the exact categories and answers at the bottom of the page.
Today’s Connections Strategy & Commentary
Watch out for the red herrings today. At first glance, words like Golf and Shirt look like an obvious match for clothing or sports gear, but committing to that group early will cost you lives. We recommend reading every phrase carefully and thinking about how they are used in conversation rather than what they describe literally, as this will make sorting the four groups much clearer.
Daily NYT Puzzle Hub
Keep your winning streak alive across the entire NYT Games ecosystem. Check out our daily guides for today’s other popular puzzles:
- Wordle Hints and Answer Today: Today’s Wordle Hints & Answer: July 3, 2026 (Puzzle #1840)
- Strands Hints and Spangram Today: NYT Strands Hints, Spangram & Answers Today: July 3, 2026 (Puzzle #852)
Connections Hints Today: Category Clues
If you just need a nudge to get your brain moving in the right direction, here are clues for the four color-coded groups:
- 🟨 Yellow Group Hint (Easiest): Terms that describe happy or pleasant feelings
- 🟩 Green Group Hint (Medium): Casual sayings used long ago to show approval
- 🟦 Blue Group Hint (Hard): Common phrases for treating someone poorly or unfairly
- 🟪 Purple Group Hint (Tricky): Words that sound exactly like the letter T when spoken aloud
Stuck on one word? If you have Gossip, try saying it out loud instead of focusing on its meaning. It might belong to the trickier Purple group today!
NYT Connections Answers Today: Friday July 3, 2026
⚠️Spoiler Warning: Beyond this point lies the full solution for Puzzle #1118. If you still want to solve the grid yourself using the clues above, do not scroll down.
Here are the completed categories and groupings for today’s puzzle:
🟨 Yellow Group: Positive Feelings
- Bliss
- Felicity
- Happiness
- Warm Fuzzies
🟩 Green Group: Retro Expressions Of Approval
- Cool Beans
- Far Out
- Groovy
- Right On
🟦 Blue Group: Bad Things To Give Someone
- Cold Shoulder
- Dirty Look
- Hard Time
- Runaround
🟪 Purple Group: What Things Pronounced “T” Might Refer To
- Golf Accessory
- Gossip
- Hot Drunk
- Shirt
Previous answer
NYT Connections Answer for July 2, 2026 (Puzzle #1117): They Impersonate Other Things / Old-Timey Names For Things We Still Use / Starting With Nicknames / Starting With Sports Venues
Join the Discussion
Did today’s puzzle give you a perfect “Reverse Rainbow” (solving Purple to Yellow), or did the tricky sound-based category trip you up?
Share your results grid or vent about today’s trickiest crossover words in the comments below!
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