NYT Connections · #1117

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1117) — July 2, 2026

By Sneha Rajput·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.”

NYT Connections hints for July 2, 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 →

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 BILLY GOATStarts with BILLY — a nickname for William — not a reference to the goat's own name.

2 COPYCATThe everyday word for someone who imitates another — no disguise needed.

3 COURT JESTERStarts with COURT — a tennis or basketball venue — though the phrase means a medieval fool who entertained royalty.

4 DAN DAN NOODLESStarts with DAN — a nickname for Daniel — though the dish's name actually comes from a Chinese carrying pole.

5 DIAMOND RINGStarts with DIAMOND — a baseball venue — though the phrase reads instantly as jewelry.

6 FIELD MOUSEStarts with FIELD — a football or soccer venue — though the phrase is just a small rodent that lives outdoors.

7 LOOKING GLASSVictorian-era word for a mirror — Alice stepped through one in Lewis Carroll's sequel.

8 MIMEA silent street performer whose whole act is imitating the world around them.

9 MOCKINGBIRDThe bird famous for copying the calls of dozens of other species.

10 RICH TEXTStarts with RICH — a nickname for Richard — though here it's a word-processing format that supports fonts and formatting.

11 SPECTACLESThe formal old word for eyeglasses — still used in British English today.

12 T-1000The shapeshifting Terminator from Judgment Day — can mimic any person it has touched.

13 TALKIESounds like slang for chatting, but it's a 1920s term for a film with a soundtrack.

14 TOM-TOMStarts with TOM — a nickname for Thomas — a small drum used in drum kits and marching bands.

15 TRACK RECORDStarts with TRACK — a running or racing venue — though the phrase is a common idiom for someone's history of results.

16 WATER CLOSETThe original polite term for a toilet — still abbreviated as WC on signs worldwide.

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

Flattery through perfect copying — these four are pros at it.

See Group

THEY IMPERSONATE OTHER THINGS

See Word

COPYCAT

See Word

MIME

See Word

MOCKINGBIRD

See Word

T-1000

See Hint

Your grandparents used these words; you use the same objects daily.

See Group

OLD-TIMEY NAMES FOR THINGS WE STILL USE

See Word

LOOKING GLASS

See Word

SPECTACLES

See Word

TALKIE

See Word

WATER CLOSET

See Hint

Each phrase opens with a name your uncle might go by.

See Group

STARTING WITH NICKNAMES

See Word

BILLY GOAT

See Word

DAN DAN NOODLES

See Word

RICH TEXT

See Word

TOM-TOM

See Hint

Each phrase opens with somewhere athletes compete.

See Group

STARTING WITH SPORTS VENUES

See Word

COURT JESTER

See Word

DIAMOND RING

See Word

FIELD MOUSE

See Word

TRACK RECORD

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 COURT JESTER Tap to see why this word traps.

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.

2 TRACK RECORD Tap to see why this word traps.

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.

3 DIAMOND RING Tap to see why this word traps.

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.

4 TALKIE Tap to see why this word traps.

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 answers for July 2, 2026

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

Y THEY IMPERSONATE OTHER THINGS · Yellow · easiest

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.

G OLD-TIMEY NAMES FOR THINGS WE STILL USE · Green · easy

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.

B STARTING WITH NICKNAMES · Blue · medium

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.

P STARTING WITH SPORTS VENUES · Purple · hardest

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.

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