If today’s New York Times Connections game is making you doubt every group you pick, you are not the only one. Puzzle #1085 has lots of tricky distractions. Many words seem like they go together at first, but the real categories are actually much more specific and clever than they look.
Below are safe hints that will help you figure out the groups without spoiling anything. You will find the full categories and answers at the end of the page.
Today’s Connections Strategy & Commentary
Watch out for tricky distractions today. Words like Soak, Sash, and Steak might make you think of cooking or things around the house. Jack and Tar could seem like common items or names too. But if you go with those ideas, you will end up wrong. The hardest one is the Purple group. Every word there turns into a type of wood just by adding the letter S at the beginning. My tip is to sort words by length first. Also look closely at words that mean something totally different or become a new word when you change or add a letter.
Daily NYT Puzzle Hub
Keep your winning streak alive across the entire NYT Games collection. Check out our daily guides for today’s other popular puzzles:
- Wordle Hints & Answer Today: Today’s Wordle Hints & Answer: May 31, 2026 (Puzzle #1807)
- Strands Hints & Spangram Today: NYT Strands Hints, Spangram & Answers Today: May 31, 2026 (Puzzle #819)
Connections Hints Today: Category Clues
If you just want a little hint to point you the right way, here are clues for each of the four color groups:
- 🟨 Yellow Group Hint (Easiest): Things that are naturally or commonly colored bright yellow
- 🟩 Green Group Hint (Medium): Terms you will hear while playing billiards or pool
- 🟦 Blue Group Hint (Hard): Slang or old‑fashioned words used to describe a sailor
- 🟪 Purple Group Hint (Tricky): Add the letter S to the start of each word, and you get a type of wood
Stuck on any word? If you see Spine or Salt, do not go by their regular meanings. One is actually old slang for sailor, and the other becomes a totally new word when you add S at the start.
NYT Connections Answers Today: May 31, 2026, Sunday
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: Beyond this point lies the full solution for Puzzle #1085. 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: Things That Are Yellow
- Butter
- School Bus
- Pikachu
- Rubber Duck
🟩 Green Group: Billiards Terms
- Break
- Cue
- Rack
🟦 Blue Group: Slang For Sailor
- Jack
- Sea Dog
- Salt
- Tar
🟪 Purple Group: Kinds Of Wood Plus “S”
- Soak → Soak → Oak
- Sash → Sash → Ash
- Spine → Spine → Pine
- Steak → Steak → Teak
Previous Answer
NYT Connections Answer May 30, 2026 Puzzle #1084: In Your Dreams / Sensible / Typographical Symbols / Song of the Year Nominees at the First Grammy Awards
Join the Discussion
Did you pull off a perfect “Reverse Rainbow” today (solving Purple to Yellow), or did those tricky wordplay groups trip you up?
Share your results grid or vent about today’s most confusing crossover words in the comments below!
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