NYT Connections · #1119
NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1119) — July 4, 2026
When a word feels too obvious for one group, test it against the others before you commit — several words here have a second life that the puzzle is counting on you to miss.
LAST and STAY both appeared in Connections #766 (Jun 8, 2025). They were part of a group about remaining or enduring.
Traps & Misdirects for July 4, 2026
The decoys built into this puzzle — and why each one bites.
HURRICANE Decoy
You're probably picturing a violent tropical storm — that's the bait. Here it's a specific cocktail, not a weather event.
ZOMBIE Decoy
You're almost certainly thinking of the undead creature, but the puzzle is using it as a drink name, not a horror reference.
LAST Decoy
You're probably reading it as an adjective meaning final or most recent, but the puzzle wants it as a verb meaning to endure.
SPOT Decoy
You're likely thinking of a location or a stain, but here it completes a two-word phrase — the noun sense is a red herring.
NYT Connections Word Clues for July 4, 2026
Spoiler-free meaning for every word in the grid.
BALLAD
A narrative poem — or song — that tells a story, often a tragic one.
CONTINUE
The most straightforward of the four — to keep going without stopping.
DREAMS
SWEET DREAMS — the bedtime send-off, and an Eurythmics song.
EPIC
A long narrative poem on a grand scale; think Homer, not a movie runtime.
HURRICANE
A New Orleans staple made with rum and passion fruit syrup — not a weather event.
LAST
Reads like 'final' at first glance, but here it's a verb meaning to hold out or endure.
LINGER
To stay somewhere longer than expected, often with a reluctant or wistful quality.
NOTHINGS
SWEET NOTHINGS — tender, affectionate words whispered to someone; the trickiest phrase to reconstruct from a single word.
ODE
A lyric poem of praise or reflection — Keats wrote some of the most famous ones.
PAINKILLER
A rum cocktail from the British Virgin Islands made with pineapple juice, orange juice and coconut cream.
PEA
SWEET PEA — a flowering climbing plant, and a common term of endearment.
SCORPION
A tiki punch typically served in a scorpion bowl — the arachnid is just the name.
SPOT
SWEET SPOT — the ideal point where conditions are just right; looks like a location or stain on its own.
STAY
The plainest of the group — to remain in place rather than leave.
VILLANELLE
A 19-line poem with a strict repeating refrain structure; Dylan Thomas's 'Do Not Go Gentle' is one.
ZOMBIE
A notoriously strong tiki drink with multiple rums — the undead association is the bait.
NYT Connections Hints for July 4, 2026
Reveal exactly what you need — a hint, the group name, or a single word.
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NYT Connections Answers for July 4, 2026
Full spoilers — all four groups revealed.
Yellow group
Persist
- CONTINUE
- LAST
- LINGER
- STAY
CONTINUE, LAST, LINGER and STAY are all verbs meaning to keep going or remain. LAST is the sneakiest — most solvers instinctively read it as an adjective (the last one) before the verb sense clicks.
Green group
Kinds of poems
- BALLAD
- EPIC
- ODE
- VILLANELLE
BALLAD, EPIC, ODE and VILLANELLE are all recognised poetic forms. VILLANELLE is the giveaway that locks the group — it has no other common meaning, making it the anchor word here.
Blue group
Tropical drinks
- HURRICANE
- PAINKILLER
- SCORPION
- ZOMBIE
HURRICANE, PAINKILLER, SCORPION and ZOMBIE are all classic tropical or tiki cocktails. The ZOMBIE is the most potent of the group — it traditionally contains three types of rum and was famously limited to two per customer at Don the Beachcomber.
Purple group
Sweet ___
- DREAMS
- NOTHINGS
- PEA
- SPOT
DREAMS, NOTHINGS, PEA and SPOT all follow the word SWEET to form familiar phrases: sweet dreams, sweet nothings, sweet pea and sweet spot. NOTHINGS is the hardest to land on — 'sweet nothings' is an idiom for affectionate murmurs, and the word alone gives almost no hint of that.