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NYT Connections · #1126

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1126) — July 11, 2026

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Earlier Jul 10 This puzzle Jul 11 Later Jul 12

“Lock in the two obvious groups first, then use what's left to untangle the harder ones — the green group in particular has a word that looks like it belongs somewhere else entirely.”

NYT Connections hints for July 11, 2026

Three levels of help — a definition for every word, colour-coded group nudges, and a heads-up on the traps. Skip to all answers →

1

Word clues

A spoiler-free definition for every word in the grid. Tap the eye on any card to reveal which colour-group it belongs to.

1 AARDVARKContains AA — A is the 1st letter of the alphabet, and the double A sits right at the start of the word.
2 BOCCEContains CC — C is the 3rd letter, and the double C sits right in the middle of the word.
3 BO PEEPThe porcelain shepherdess who loses her sheep — and gains a much tougher role in later films.
4 CALMThe most familiar word for undisturbed water — no twist, just the straightforward sense.
5 CANNONLooks like a weapon; here it's the launch device for a human cannonball act.
6 EBBINGLooks like a water word because of its meaning, but the puzzle wants the BB inside it — B is the 2nd letter.
7 FLATDescribes water with no ripple or wave — not the shoe type or the musical note.
8 GLASSYWater so smooth it reflects like a mirror — the most vivid image of the four.
9 JESSIEThe yodelling cowgirl introduced in Toy Story 2.
10 SLINKYThe spring-bodied dog — also appeared in a past puzzle about close-fitting clothing, which is the decoy reading.
11 STILLSounds like STILTS and has played many roles in past puzzles, but here it simply means motionless, undisturbed water.
12 STILTSThe tall poles that let performers tower over the crowd.
13 TRAPEZEThe swinging bar high above the sawdust that acrobats fly between.
14 TWIDDLEContains DD — D is the 4th letter of the alphabet, completing the AA/BB/CC/DD set.
15 UNICYCLEOne wheel, no handlebars — a circus staple that jugglers love to combine with their act.
16 WOODYThe pull-string cowboy and Andy's favourite — previously appeared in puzzles about Tom Hanks roles and cartoon birds.
2

Group hints

Four colour-coded groups, easiest → hardest. Every button reveals the hint, the category name, or a single word — tap only what you need.

See Hint A ringmaster would have all four of these on the bill.
See Group CIRCUS EQUIPMENT
See WordCANNON
See WordSTILTS
See WordTRAPEZE
See WordUNICYCLE
See Hint A paddler's dream surface — not a ripple in sight.
See Group UNDISTURBED, AS WATER
See WordCALM
See WordFLAT
See WordGLASSY
See WordSTILL
See Hint Andy's bedroom had all four of these residents.
See Group "TOY STORY" CHARACTERS
See WordBO PEEP
See WordJESSIE
See WordSLINKY
See WordWOODY
See Hint Each word hides a doubled letter that earned its spot.
See Group DOUBLE LETTERS APPEARING IN THAT LETTER'S ALPHABETICAL POSITION
See WordAARDVARK
See WordBOCCE
See WordEBBING
See WordTWIDDLE
3

Words the puzzle wants you to mis-group

Read these before you guess — they're the words most likely to break a streak. Tap for the trap.

1 STILL Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as an adverb meaning 'yet', or noticing how close it sounds to STILTS on the same grid — but the puzzle is using it as an adjective, not a connecting word or a circus prop.
2 CANNON Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing a military weapon or a famous surname — but the puzzle is using it in a very specific performance context, not warfare.
3 EBBING Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of a receding tide, which pulls hard toward the water-themed group — but the puzzle is using it for a structural reason buried inside the word itself, not its meaning.
4 BOCCE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as an Italian lawn game with no obvious home here — but like EBBING, the puzzle cares about what's inside the spelling, not what the word means.

NYT Connections answers for July 11, 2026

All four groups revealed, easiest first. Each card holds the theme, the four words, and why the group works.

Y CIRCUS EQUIPMENT · Yellow · easiest
  • CANNON
  • STILTS
  • TRAPEZE
  • UNICYCLE

CANNON, STILTS, TRAPEZE and UNICYCLE are all classic circus equipment or acts. CANNON is the sneakiest — most solvers picture artillery before the human cannonball act clicks into place.

G UNDISTURBED, AS WATER · Green · easy
  • CALM
  • FLAT
  • GLASSY
  • STILL

CALM, FLAT, GLASSY and STILL all describe water that is smooth and undisturbed. STILL is the trickiest — it sounds like STILTS on the same grid and has appeared in Connections many times in other roles, so solvers are primed to doubt it here.

B "TOY STORY" CHARACTERS · Blue · medium
  • BO PEEP
  • JESSIE
  • SLINKY
  • WOODY

BO PEEP, JESSIE, SLINKY and WOODY are all characters from the Toy Story franchise. WOODY is the most loaded word on the grid — it has previously appeared as a Tom Hanks role and as a cartoon bird, so solvers may hesitate before placing it here.

P DOUBLE LETTERS APPEARING IN THAT LETTER'S ALPHABETICAL POSITION · Purple · hardest
  • AARDVARK
  • BOCCE
  • EBBING
  • TWIDDLE

AARDVARK (AA — A is the 1st letter), BOCCE (CC — C is the 3rd letter), EBBING (BB — B is the 2nd letter) and TWIDDLE (DD — D is the 4th letter) each contain a pair of consecutive identical letters whose alphabetical position matches that letter's place in the alphabet. EBBING is the cruelest trap — its meaning (a receding tide) screams water, but the puzzle only cares about the BB hiding inside it.

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