NYT Connections · #1117
NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1117) — July 2, 2026
Before you commit to any group, look at the first word of every two-word phrase and ask whether it could be a name or a place — that lens unlocks the two hardest categories.
Traps & Misdirects for July 2, 2026
The decoys built into this puzzle — and why each one bites.
COURT JESTER Decoy
You're probably reading this as a complete historical phrase — a fool who entertained royalty — which makes it feel self-contained and finished. But the puzzle is only interested in the first word as a type of venue, not in the phrase as a whole.
TRACK RECORD Decoy
You're almost certainly reading this as the common idiom for someone's history of performance — that's the bait. Here the puzzle is treating the first word as a physical place, not part of a fixed expression.
DIAMOND RING Decoy
You're probably seeing jewelry or baseball — both feel plausible. But the puzzle is using the first word purely as a venue type, so the ring part is what matters for the phrase, not the gem.
TALKIE Decoy
It sounds like casual slang for chatting, which could nudge you toward a performance or impersonation group. It's actually an old-fashioned word for a specific kind of movie.
NYT Connections Word Clues for July 2, 2026
Spoiler-free meaning for every word in the grid.
BILLY GOAT
Starts with BILLY — a nickname for William — not a reference to the goat's own name.
COPYCAT
The everyday word for someone who imitates another — no disguise needed.
COURT JESTER
Starts with COURT — a tennis or basketball venue — though the phrase means a medieval fool who entertained royalty.
DAN DAN NOODLES
Starts with DAN — a nickname for Daniel — though the dish's name actually comes from a Chinese carrying pole.
DIAMOND RING
Starts with DIAMOND — a baseball venue — though the phrase reads instantly as jewelry.
FIELD MOUSE
Starts with FIELD — a football or soccer venue — though the phrase is just a small rodent that lives outdoors.
LOOKING GLASS
Victorian-era word for a mirror — Alice stepped through one in Lewis Carroll's sequel.
MIME
A silent street performer whose whole act is imitating the world around them.
MOCKINGBIRD
The bird famous for copying the calls of dozens of other species.
RICH TEXT
Starts with RICH — a nickname for Richard — though here it's a word-processing format that supports fonts and formatting.
SPECTACLES
The formal old word for eyeglasses — still used in British English today.
T-1000
The shapeshifting Terminator from Judgment Day — can mimic any person it has touched.
TALKIE
Sounds like slang for chatting, but it's a 1920s term for a film with a soundtrack.
TOM-TOM
Starts with TOM — a nickname for Thomas — a small drum used in drum kits and marching bands.
TRACK RECORD
Starts with TRACK — a running or racing venue — though the phrase is a common idiom for someone's history of results.
WATER CLOSET
The original polite term for a toilet — still abbreviated as WC on signs worldwide.
NYT Connections Hints for July 2, 2026
Reveal exactly what you need — a hint, the group name, or a single word.
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NYT Connections Answers for July 2, 2026
Full spoilers — all four groups revealed.
Yellow group
They impersonate other things
- COPYCAT
- MIME
- MOCKINGBIRD
- T-1000
COPYCAT, MIME, MOCKINGBIRD and T-1000 all impersonate or imitate other things. T-1000 is the standout — it's the liquid-metal Terminator from the film that can morph into any person it touches, making it the most literal shape-shifter of the group.
Green group
Old-timey names for things we still use
- LOOKING GLASS
- SPECTACLES
- TALKIE
- WATER CLOSET
LOOKING GLASS, SPECTACLES, TALKIE and WATER CLOSET are all old-fashioned terms for things still very much in use — mirror, glasses, movie and toilet respectively. TALKIE is the trickiest: it was coined in the late 1920s to distinguish sound films from silent ones, and the word quietly fell out of everyday use once talkies became the only kind of film.
Blue group
Starting with nicknames
- BILLY GOAT
- DAN DAN NOODLES
- RICH TEXT
- TOM-TOM
BILLY GOAT, DAN DAN NOODLES, RICH TEXT and TOM-TOM each begin with a common nickname — Billy, Dan, Rich and Tom. The connection is purely about those first words being short-form personal names, not about what the phrases mean.
Purple group
Starting with sports venues
- COURT JESTER
- DIAMOND RING
- FIELD MOUSE
- TRACK RECORD
COURT JESTER, DIAMOND RING, FIELD MOUSE and TRACK RECORD each begin with a type of sports venue — court, diamond, field and track. The puzzle hides those venue words inside completely unrelated phrases, which is what makes this the hardest group.