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NYT Connections · #1140

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1140) — July 25, 2026

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“Before you lock in any group, add the word "up" to each verb you see — four of them snap into a phrase that means the same thing.RAND has history: it appeared among world currencies in Connections #68 (Aug 18, 2023), and it does the same job here.”

NYT Connections hints for July 25, 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 ABUELASpanish for grandmother — the most recognizable of the four for most English speakers.
2 CHOKEChoke up — to become too emotional to speak, often at a podium or a funeral.
3 CLUBStrip club — the nightclub sense is the bait; here it's completing the STRIP ___ pattern.
4 HIJOSpanish for son — the least familiar word here for non-Spanish speakers.
5 KWANZAThe currency of Angola — its spelling is close to the cultural holiday Kwanzaa, which is the distraction.
6 LEONEThe currency of Sierra Leone — reads like an Italian personal name, which is exactly the bait.
7 MADRESpanish for mother — close enough to English 'maternal' that it rarely fools anyone.
8 MALLStrip mall — the row of shops in a parking lot, a very specific kind of retail layout.
9 MISTMist up — eyes going hazy with tears before the full cry arrives.
10 NAIRAThe currency of Nigeria — the least ambiguous of the four for most solvers.
11 POKERStrip poker — the card game variant where losing a hand costs you clothing.
12 PRIMOSpanish for cousin — also used as English slang for 'excellent,' which is the bait.
13 RANDThe currency of South Africa — looks like a surname or a random quantity, not money.
14 STEAKStrip steak — a specific cut from the short loin; easy to overlook because 'steak' feels complete on its own.
15 TEARLooks like a noun (teardrop) or a ripping verb, but tear up means to fill with tears.
16 WELLWell up — tears rising to the surface, like water rising in a well; not a filler word here.
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 grandmother, a son, a mother, a cousin — just not in English.
See Group SPANISH RELATIVES
See WordABUELA
See WordHIJO
See WordMADRE
See WordPRIMO
See Hint Add one small word and you're suddenly sobbing.
See Group START TO CRY, WITH "UP"
See WordCHOKE
See WordMIST
See WordTEAR
See WordWELL
See Hint A cashier in Accra, Lagos or Luanda would recognise all four.
See Group AFRICAN CURRENCIES
See WordKWANZA
See WordLEONE
See WordNAIRA
See WordRAND
See Hint A Las Vegas street gives its name to all four of these things.
See Group STRIP ___
See WordCLUB
See WordMALL
See WordPOKER
See WordSTEAK
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 TEAR Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a teardrop or the act of ripping something — but here the puzzle uses it as a verb that pairs with 'up' to mean something emotional, not physical.
2 LEONE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as an Italian or Spanish personal name — but here it's a unit of money from a specific African country, not a person.
3 RAND Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a surname or a vague English word — but here it's an official national currency, not a name.
4 CLUB Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking nightclub, playing card suit, or sandwich — but here the puzzle is using it as a noun that pairs with a completely different word, not any of those associations.

NYT Connections answers for July 25, 2026

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

Y SPANISH RELATIVES · Yellow · easiest
  • ABUELA
  • HIJO
  • MADRE
  • PRIMO

ABUELA, HIJO, MADRE and PRIMO are all Spanish words for family members — grandmother, son, mother and cousin respectively. PRIMO is the sneakiest for English speakers, since it also floats around as slang meaning excellent.

G START TO CRY, WITH "UP" · Green · easy
  • CHOKE
  • MIST
  • TEAR
  • WELL

CHOKE, MIST, TEAR and WELL all precede 'up' to form a phrase meaning to start crying or become emotional — choke up, mist up, tear up, well up. WELL is the hardest to see because it reads so naturally as a filler word or a water source.

B AFRICAN CURRENCIES · Blue · medium
  • KWANZA
  • LEONE
  • NAIRA
  • RAND

KWANZA, LEONE, NAIRA and RAND are all official currencies of African nations — Angola, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and South Africa respectively. LEONE and RAND are the traps: both read easily as names or common English words rather than money.

P STRIP ___ · Purple · hardest
  • CLUB
  • MALL
  • POKER
  • STEAK

CLUB, MALL, POKER and STEAK all follow the word 'strip' to make a common compound or phrase: strip club, strip mall, strip poker, strip steak. STEAK is the toughest — most solvers are thinking of a restaurant cut in general, not realising that a strip steak is a very specific name for a cut from the short loin.

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