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NYT Connections · #1142

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1142) — July 27, 2026

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Earlier Jul 26 This puzzle Jul 27 Later Jul 28

“Start with the group that has the clearest physical shape — things you could hold or touch — before tackling words that pull double or triple duty.”

NYT Connections hints for July 27, 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 BEAMLooks like a structural timber; here it's the narrow balance beam gymnasts walk and flip on.
2 BELLThe notifications icon — tap it to see alerts, not to hear it ring.
3 CARROTA root vegetable that widens at the top and tapers to a thin tip.
4 CARTThe shopping cart icon where you collect items before checkout.
5 DOPPLERDoppler shift — the change in wave frequency as a source moves toward or away from you.
6 GRAVEYARDGraveyard shift — the overnight work shift, named for its late, eerie hours.
7 HEARTThe wishlist or save icon — tap it to bookmark a product you like.
8 HORSENot the animal — the pommel horse, a padded apparatus gymnasts swing around on.
9 ICICLEA frozen spike of water that grows longer and thinner as it drips and refreezes.
10 KNITTING NEEDLEA long, slender rod that tapers to a point — the most man-made item in the group.
11 MAGNIFYING GLASSThe search icon on a shopping site — nothing to do with detectives or fire-starting here.
12 PARADIGMParadigm shift — a fundamental change in the way a field thinks about something.
13 RINGSTwo suspended circles gymnasts hold while performing strength moves in the air.
14 STALACTITEA mineral spike hanging from a cave ceiling, tapering to a point over millennia.
15 STICKLooks like a rod or a verb meaning to adhere; here it completes a term for a manual car transmission.
16 VAULTLooks like a bank safe; here it's the springboard-and-table apparatus gymnasts launch off.
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 Athletes compete on each of these at the Olympics.
See Group GYMNASTICS APPARATUS
See WordBEAM
See WordHORSE
See WordRINGS
See WordVAULT
See Hint Each one comes to a point at the far end.
See Group LONG TAPERED THINGS
See WordCARROT
See WordICICLE
See WordKNITTING NEEDLE
See WordSTALACTITE
See Hint One hidden word turns all four of these into something completely different.
See Group KINDS OF SHIFTS
See WordDOPPLER
See WordGRAVEYARD
See WordPARADIGM
See WordSTICK
See Hint You tap each of these without leaving the page.
See Group ICONS ON A SHOPPING SITE
See WordBELL
See WordCART
See WordHEART
See WordMAGNIFYING GLASS
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 BEAM Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing a ray of light or a wooden structural timber — but here the puzzle is using it as a piece of gymnastics equipment, not a building material.
2 VAULT Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of a bank vault or an arched ceiling — but here it's a gymnastics apparatus, not an architectural or financial term.
3 STICK Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a thin rod or a verb meaning to adhere — but the puzzle is using it in a compound term for a type of car transmission, not as a standalone noun or verb.
4 BELL Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of something that rings — a sound connection that could pull it toward RINGS — but here it's a small icon you tap on a website, not an instrument.

NYT Connections answers for July 27, 2026

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

Y GYMNASTICS APPARATUS · Yellow · easiest
  • BEAM
  • HORSE
  • RINGS
  • VAULT

BEAM, HORSE, RINGS and VAULT are all gymnastics apparatus used in Olympic competition. HORSE is the sneakiest — most solvers picture the animal before remembering the pommel horse.

G LONG TAPERED THINGS · Green · easy
  • CARROT
  • ICICLE
  • KNITTING NEEDLE
  • STALACTITE

CARROT, ICICLE, KNITTING NEEDLE and STALACTITE are all long, tapered objects that narrow toward a tip. STALACTITE is the most satisfying — it hangs from a cave ceiling and tapers to a sharp point over thousands of years.

B KINDS OF SHIFTS · Blue · medium
  • DOPPLER
  • GRAVEYARD
  • PARADIGM
  • STICK

DOPPLER, GRAVEYARD, PARADIGM and STICK all precede the word SHIFT to form a familiar phrase or term. STICK is the trickiest — stick shift is the manual transmission type, while the others feel more abstract or scientific.

P ICONS ON A SHOPPING SITE · Purple · hardest
  • BELL
  • CART
  • HEART
  • MAGNIFYING GLASS

BELL, CART, HEART and MAGNIFYING GLASS are all icons found on a typical online shopping site. MAGNIFYING GLASS is the most unexpected — it represents the search function, a long way from its physical identity as a detective's tool.

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