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NYT Connections · #1131

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1131) — July 16, 2026

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Earlier Jul 15 This puzzle Jul 16 Later Jul 17

“Before you lock in the skincare group, check each word for a second meaning — at least two words that feel like they belong there are actually elsewhere on the grid.CHARCOAL and JET appeared together in Connections #448 (Sep 1, 2024) as shades of black. They play the same role today. NEEDLE has appeared in ten previous puzzles in roles ranging from sewing kit items to ways of teasing someone — today it belongs to neither of those worlds.”

NYT Connections hints for July 16, 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 BULLSEYEThe dead-center target hit — the word itself has become a synonym for perfect accuracy.
2 CHARCOALA dark gray-black shade — not the face mask ingredient it pretends to be here.
3 CLAY MASKThe two-word entry that anchors the group — no hidden meaning, just a face treatment.
4 CLOCKWORKAs in 'like clockwork' — flawless, timed-to-the-second precision.
5 DOT MATRIXFamiliar as a type of printer — here it qualifies because DOT is a tiny mark.
6 EYE CREAMTargets fine lines and dark circles; another two-word entry with no double life here.
7 INKThe deep, flat black of a fresh pen stroke.
8 JETNamed after the gemstone jet, which is a glossy, pure black.
9 LASERFeels like a skincare treatment, but here it's the 'laser-focused' sense — pinpoint accuracy.
10 NEEDLEThreading a needle is the classic image of fine, exacting work — that's the precision sense the puzzle wants, not sewing or teasing.
11 PEELShort for chemical peel — solvers may second-guess it, but it belongs squarely in skincare.
12 PERIOD PIECEA film or drama set in the past — but PERIOD, a punctuation mark, is the tiny mark that counts.
13 PITCHAs in pitch-black — the tar-like substance that gives the phrase its darkness.
14 POINT BREAKThe surf-heist film — but POINT, meaning a dot or tip, is the tiny mark leading the phrase.
15 SPOT REMOVERReads like a stain cleaner or skincare product — but SPOT, a small mark, is what earns its place here.
16 TONERThe liquid step after cleansing — it looks like a trap but lands exactly where you first thought.
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 Your bathroom shelf has all four of these.
See Group SKINCARE PRODUCTS
See WordCLAY MASK
See WordEYE CREAM
See WordPEEL
See WordTONER
See Hint Every one of these could describe the darkest night sky.
See Group SHADES OF BLACK
See WordCHARCOAL
See WordINK
See WordJET
See WordPITCH
See Hint Each of these is a stand-in for exactness or dead-on accuracy.
See Group ASSOCIATED WITH PRECISION
See WordBULLSEYE
See WordCLOCKWORK
See WordLASER
See WordNEEDLE
See Hint Each phrase opens with a word for a tiny mark.
See Group STARTING WITH TINY MARKS
See WordDOT MATRIX
See WordPERIOD PIECE
See WordPOINT BREAK
See WordSPOT REMOVER
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 CHARCOAL Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing a charcoal face mask — that's the bait. Here it's being used as a shade of dark gray-black, not a skincare ingredient.
2 LASER Tap to see why this word traps.
You're likely thinking of laser hair removal or laser resurfacing — common cosmetic treatments. Here the puzzle is using it as a word for pinpoint accuracy, not a beauty procedure.
3 SPOT REMOVER Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading this as a stain-cleaning product or a skincare treatment — both are reasonable. The puzzle is not interested in what the full phrase does; look hard at the very first word and what it means on its own.
4 PITCH Tap to see why this word traps.
You're likely thinking of musical pitch or a sales pitch — both feel precise. Here it's a deep, dark shade, not a sound or a presentation.
5 TONER Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably placing this straight into skincare — and for once, that instinct is right. It belongs exactly where it looks like it belongs; don't let the other traps shake your confidence here.

NYT Connections answers for July 16, 2026

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

Y SKINCARE PRODUCTS · Yellow · easiest
  • CLAY MASK
  • EYE CREAM
  • PEEL
  • TONER

CLAY MASK, EYE CREAM, PEEL and TONER are all skincare products. PEEL is the one solvers second-guess most — 'chemical peel' is so strongly associated with the word that it feels obvious, but the cross-category pulls from CHARCOAL and LASER make solvers doubt the whole group.

G SHADES OF BLACK · Green · easy
  • CHARCOAL
  • INK
  • JET
  • PITCH

CHARCOAL, INK, JET and PITCH are all words for shades of black. CHARCOAL is the biggest trap — its skincare association (charcoal masks) pulls strongly toward Yellow, but here it's purely a dark-gray-black color.

B ASSOCIATED WITH PRECISION · Blue · medium
  • BULLSEYE
  • CLOCKWORK
  • LASER
  • NEEDLE

BULLSEYE, CLOCKWORK, LASER and NEEDLE are all words or phrases associated with precision. LASER is the sneakiest — laser hair removal pulls it toward skincare, but 'laser-focused' and 'laser accuracy' are the senses the puzzle wants. NEEDLE earns its place through the idiom 'threading a needle,' but it also doubles as a verb meaning to provoke with pinpoint jabs — both senses point at exactness.

P STARTING WITH TINY MARKS · Purple · hardest
  • DOT MATRIX
  • PERIOD PIECE
  • POINT BREAK
  • SPOT REMOVER

DOT MATRIX, PERIOD PIECE, POINT BREAK and SPOT REMOVER each begin with a word that means a small mark — dot, period, point and spot respectively. The aha moment is realizing the puzzle is not grouping these by their familiar meanings (printer, film genre, surf movie, stain cleaner) but by the hidden synonym hiding at the front of each phrase.

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