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NYT Connections · #1123

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1123) — July 8, 2026

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“Before you commit to any group, test each word as a verb — the action sense unlocks several placements that the noun sense will block.PICK and STRUM appeared together in Connections #748 (May 27, 2025) as guitar-playing techniques. PICK has since appeared in Connections #1200 (Jun 28, 2026) as a guitarist's accessory — a different angle on the same instrument.”

NYT Connections hints for July 8, 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 CARDSHouse of Cards — the political drama about a power-hungry politician, remade twice.
2 DRIFTThe general direction of an argument or story — as in 'catch my drift'.
3 GRATETo drag food across a grater and produce fine shreds — think Parmesan over pasta.
4 LORDSHouse of Lords — the upper chamber of the UK Parliament.
5 PICKTo strike a single string with a plectrum — or the plectrum itself.
6 PLANELooks like an aircraft; here it's the carpenter's verb for shaving thin layers off wood.
7 PLOTThe sequence of events that drives a story — its most familiar narrative sense.
8 PLUCKTo pull a string with a fingertip and release it — the fingerstyle approach.
9 SHAVETo remove a thin layer — works on a face, a block of ice, or a piece of timber.
10 SLIVERUsually a noun for a thin fragment, but here it's a verb — to sliver something is to cut or split it into long, thin strips.
11 STRUMTo sweep across multiple strings in one fluid motion — the campfire chord move.
12 TAPLooks like a water fixture; here it's the fretboard technique of hammering strings with the picking hand.
13 THEMEThe central idea or message a work keeps returning to.
14 THREADLooks like sewing supplies; here it's the strand of meaning that runs through a story.
15 WAXHouse of Wax — the horror film featuring lifelike wax figures with a grim secret.
16 WORSHIPHouse of Worship — a general term for any religious building, from a church to a mosque.
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 What a chef does to a block of cheese or a carpenter to a plank.
See Group CUT INTO THIN PIECES
See WordGRATE
See WordPLANE
See WordSHAVE
See WordSLIVER
See Hint A reader notices it without the author ever naming it.
See Group MOTIF
See WordDRIFT
See WordPLOT
See WordTHEME
See WordTHREAD
See Hint How your fingers move when you're playing a six-string.
See Group GUITAR-PLAYING TECHNIQUES
See WordPICK
See WordPLUCK
See WordSTRUM
See WordTAP
See Hint Each one completes a two-word building or institution name.
See Group HOUSE OF ___
See WordCARDS
See WordLORDS
See WordWAX
See WordWORSHIP
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 PLANE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing an aircraft or a flat geometric surface — but here the puzzle is using it as a verb from the workshop, not the runway or the classroom.
2 PICK Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of detaching something — plucking fruit or pulling a thread — but the puzzle is using it as a performance technique, not a harvesting action.
3 THREAD Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably seeing a needle and sewing kit, but here it's being used in a storytelling sense, not a fabric one.
4 TAP Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of a water tap or a light knock — but the puzzle is using it as a fretboard technique, not a plumbing fixture or a dance style.

NYT Connections answers for July 8, 2026

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

Y CUT INTO THIN PIECES · Yellow · easiest
  • GRATE
  • PLANE
  • SHAVE
  • SLIVER

GRATE, PLANE, SHAVE and SLIVER all describe ways of cutting something into thin pieces. PLANE is the sneakiest — most solvers picture an aircraft or a flat surface before the woodworking verb sense clicks into place.

G MOTIF · Green · easy
  • DRIFT
  • PLOT
  • THEME
  • THREAD

DRIFT, PLOT, THEME and THREAD all mean the central idea or through-line of a narrative. What makes this group surprising is how domestic three of the four words feel — DRIFT, THREAD and PLOT all carry strong non-literary meanings that pull solvers away from the storytelling sense.

B GUITAR-PLAYING TECHNIQUES · Blue · medium
  • PICK
  • PLUCK
  • STRUM
  • TAP

PICK, PLUCK, STRUM and TAP are all guitar-playing techniques. TAP is the most specialised — it refers to tapping the fretboard with the picking hand, a technique popularised by Eddie Van Halen.

P HOUSE OF ___ · Purple · hardest
  • CARDS
  • LORDS
  • WAX
  • WORSHIP

CARDS, LORDS, WAX and WORSHIP all follow 'House of' to make a specific compound phrase: House of Cards, House of Lords, House of Wax, House of Worship. WORSHIP is the hardest — it's the only one that doesn't have a famous TV show or British institution to anchor it.

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