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NYT Connections · #1108

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1108) — June 23, 2026

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“When a word feels like an obvious fit for one group, test it against every other group before you commit — several words here are designed to land in the wrong bucket first.FOXTROT, MODERN, SWING and TAP appeared together as a group in Connections #565 (Nov 30, 2024). They were grouped under dance styles then too.”

NYT Connections hints for June 23, 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 DEEDThe property card you collect when you buy a street in Monopoly — not a heroic act.
2 EARTHIts mantle is the thick rocky layer between the crust and the core.
3 EMPERORThe emperor penguin has a distinctive mantle — the dark feathered cape across its back.
4 FEATUREDThe sort option that surfaces editor-picked or promoted content at the top.
5 FIREPLACEThe mantel here is the decorative shelf sitting above the hearth.
6 FOXTROTA smooth, gliding ballroom dance — also NATO's letter F, which is the bait.
7 HOTELThe red plastic building you place on a fully developed property to maximise rent.
8 MODERNA concert dance genre born in the early 20th century as a break from classical ballet.
9 MONEYThe colourful paper cash that funds every transaction in the game.
10 POPULARA feed filter ranking content by likes, shares or views — not just a general adjective here.
11 RECENTThe chronological sort that shows the newest posts first.
12 SWINGAn energetic partner dance from the jazz era — not a playground fixture or a political term.
13 TAPThe dance style where metal-tipped shoes make the rhythm — not the water faucet or the touchscreen gesture.
14 TOKENThe small metal playing piece — the top hat, the iron, the dog — not a crypto coin or a gesture.
15 TRENDINGA sort mode highlighting content gaining rapid attention right now — not just a synonym for modern.
16 YANKEESPoints to Mickey Mantle, the Hall of Fame centre fielder who defined the Yankees dynasty of the 1950s and 60s.
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 Your feet do the talking on the dance floor.
See Group DANCE STYLES
See WordFOXTROT
See WordMODERN
See WordSWING
See WordTAP
See Hint Everything you'd find inside the box on game night.
See Group IN A MONOPOLY BOX
See WordDEED
See WordHOTEL
See WordMONEY
See WordTOKEN
See Hint Buttons you press to reorder what shows up in your feed.
See Group CONTENT SORTING OPTIONS ONLINE
See WordFEATURED
See WordPOPULAR
See WordRECENT
See WordTRENDING
See Hint Each one wears a layer named the same thing.
See Group THINGS WITH MANTLES/MANTELS
See WordEARTH
See WordEMPEROR
See WordFIREPLACE
See WordYANKEES
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 FOXTROT Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of the NATO phonetic alphabet — F for Foxtrot — but the puzzle is using it as a ballroom dance, not a radio callsign.
2 SWING Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing a playground swing, a political swing state, or swinging a bat — but here it's a partner dance style, not any of those.
3 MODERN Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a general adjective meaning contemporary, which makes it feel like it belongs with TRENDING — but here it's a specific dance genre, not a descriptor.
4 YANKEES Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of the baseball team — but the puzzle is using it to point to a famous Yankee by name, connecting it to something entirely non-sporting.
5 TOKEN Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a crypto token or a symbolic gesture — but here it's the small playing piece you move around a board.

NYT Connections answers for June 23, 2026

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

Y DANCE STYLES · Yellow · easiest
  • FOXTROT
  • MODERN
  • SWING
  • TAP

FOXTROT, MODERN, SWING and TAP are all dance styles. This exact group appeared in Connections #565 — the NYT has recycled all four words together before.

G IN A MONOPOLY BOX · Green · easy
  • DEED
  • HOTEL
  • MONEY
  • TOKEN

DEED, HOTEL, MONEY and TOKEN are all components found inside a Monopoly box. DEED and TOKEN are the sneakiest — both carry strong non-Monopoly readings that pull solvers away from the board game.

B CONTENT SORTING OPTIONS ONLINE · Blue · medium
  • FEATURED
  • POPULAR
  • RECENT
  • TRENDING

FEATURED, POPULAR, RECENT and TRENDING are all content-sorting or filtering options you find on websites and apps. POPULAR is the trickiest — it reads as a plain adjective, but on most platforms it's a specific tab or sort mode.

P THINGS WITH MANTLES/MANTELS · Purple · hardest
  • EARTH
  • EMPEROR
  • FIREPLACE
  • YANKEES

EARTH, EMPEROR, FIREPLACE and YANKEES all have an associated mantle or mantel: the Earth's mantle (geological layer), the emperor penguin's mantle (feather colouring), a fireplace mantel (the shelf above), and Mickey Mantle (the Yankees legend). YANKEES is the hardest leap — you have to get from the team to the player to the surname.

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