NYT Connections · #1200

NYT Connections Hints & Answers

Work out the purple group last — it requires a specific word that pairs with each member, and rushing it will cost you a guess. Lock in the two easiest groups first to shrink the grid.

PICK and SLIDE both carry history here. PICK has appeared several times before — as an orchard-harvesting word in Connections #652 (Feb 21, 2025), and as a guitarist's tool in an earlier puzzle. SLIDE appeared as playground equipment in Connections #467 (Aug 28, 2024), and later as a guitarist's technique in Connections #748 (May 27, 2025).

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Today's Puzzle Words & Clues

Which word from today's puzzle confuses you?

WordMeaningWordMeaning
BEGIN The most formal of the four — no double meaning to worry about here. CAPO Sounds like a mob rank; it's actually a small clamp that raises a guitar's pitch by pressing across the frets.
CHESS Has a checkered board — and also appeared in previous puzzles as a pie type and a speed sport, so don't let old associations pull you away. CHOICE Usually a noun for a decision, but here it's an adjective — USDA CHOICE is the official grade just below prime beef.
CORPORATION Its board sits in a conference room, not a sports hall — the most abstract of the four. DARTS The dartboard is one word here — the circular target hanging on the pub wall.
FINE Can mean a penalty or just okay, but here it means genuinely excellent — fine dining, fine craftsmanship. GO Also the name of an ancient strategy board game, which makes it a convincing lure for the purple group — but here it's just the command to move.
NOW The most urgent of the four — it adds immediacy rather than just marking a starting point. PICK Reads as a verb meaning to choose; here it's the thin plastic plectrum held between finger and thumb.
PRIME Looks like a number type or a streaming brand; here it's the adjective meaning of the highest quality. SELECT Reads as a verb meaning to choose, but here it's an adjective — and also the USDA beef grade that sits below CHOICE.
SLIDE Evokes a playground or a presentation; here it's a glass or metal tube worn on a finger to glide along the strings. START The plain-vanilla member of the group; no real twist, just the everyday word for beginning something.
STRAP The leather or fabric band that lets a guitarist play standing up — the most physically obvious item of the four. SURFER Rides a surfboard — the only person in the group rather than a game or institution.

Tricky words to watch

Decoys the NYT plants to throw you off. Tap one to see why it bites.

Decoy GO

You're probably reading it as a command to move — but it's also the name of an ancient strategy board game, which makes it a plausible fit for one of the other groups. Don't let that pull you away from its most obvious, everyday meaning.

Decoy PICK

You're probably thinking of it as a verb meaning to choose, which puts it right next to SELECT and CHOICE — but here the puzzle is using it as a small physical tool a guitarist holds.

Decoy CAPO

You're probably picturing a crime boss or mob rank — but here it's a clamp that clips onto a guitar neck to shift the pitch.

Decoy PRIME

You're probably thinking of a number type or a streaming service — but here the puzzle is using it as a plain adjective meaning top-grade.

Group Hints & Reveal Assistant

Reveal exactly what you need — a hint, the group name, or a single word.

See hint
The label on the best cut at the butcher counter.
See group
HIGH-QUALITY
See word
CHOICE
See word
FINE
See word
PRIME
See word
SELECT
See hint
What a race official shouts before the cars move.
See group
SIGNALS TO COMMENCE
See word
BEGIN
See word
GO
See word
NOW
See word
START
See hint
Everything hanging off the instrument before the first chord.
See group
ACCESSORIES FOR A GUITARIST
See word
CAPO
See word
PICK
See word
SLIDE
See word
STRAP
See hint
A game, a pub fixture, a wave rider and a boardroom all walk into the same category.
See group
THEY HAVE BOARDS
See word
CHESS
See word
CORPORATION
See word
DARTS
See word
SURFER

What are today's Connections answers?

Full spoilers — all four groups revealed.

Yellow group answers

The Yellow Connections group today is HIGH-QUALITY. The yellow group words are CHOICE, FINE, PRIME, SELECT. CHOICE, FINE, PRIME and SELECT all mean high-quality or top-grade. The USDA beef grading system actually uses three of these words — PRIME, CHOICE and SELECT — as official grade names, in descending order of quality.

Green group answers

The Green Connections group today is SIGNALS TO COMMENCE. The green group words are BEGIN, GO, NOW, START. BEGIN, GO, NOW and START all signal that something is about to commence or already has. GO is the trickiest — it doubles as a board game, tempting solvers to drop it into the purple group instead.

Blue group answers

The Blue Connections group today is ACCESSORIES FOR A GUITARIST. The blue group words are CAPO, PICK, SLIDE, STRAP. CAPO, PICK, SLIDE and STRAP are all accessories or tools used by a guitarist. CAPO is the most obscure — it's a clamp that clips onto the neck to raise the pitch across all strings at once.

Purple group answers

The Purple Connections group today is THEY HAVE BOARDS. The purple group words are CHESS, CORPORATION, DARTS, SURFER. CHESS, CORPORATION, DARTS and SURFER each pair with the word BOARD — chessboard, corporate board, dartboard and surfboard. CORPORATION is the hardest leap because its board sits in a conference room rather than a sports hall or ocean, making it the last connection most solvers see.