NYT Connections — May 19, 2026
Stuck on today's Connections? Below are the 16 words. Reveal one hint at a time or jump straight to the full answer. Updated daily after the NYT release at midnight ET.
How to Use This Solver
- Read the 16 words at the top.
- Try to spot groups of 4 that share a theme.
- Stuck? Click Show 1st hint — it reveals the easiest group's theme without giving away the words.
- Each subsequent hint reveals the next group's theme.
- If you give up, click Reveal full answer — all 4 groups, color-coded.
Difficulty Colors Explained
Each Connections puzzle has four groups, ranked by lateral difficulty:
- Yellow — easiest, usually a direct categorical match (e.g. "types of pasta").
- Green — slightly trickier, still mostly literal.
- Blue — requires lateral thinking; often wordplay or shared phrases.
- Purple — hardest; usually puns, hidden words, or themes within themes.
Strategy Tips
Start with the easiest words to identify — typically the yellow group. Once you place 4 with high confidence, the remaining 12 split more easily into themes. Avoid the trap of placing the "obvious" group first if it might overlap with the purple (lateral) group — purple usually steals one word from another category.
Read more strategy in our complete strategy guide.
Recent Puzzles
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the new puzzle drop?
Midnight Eastern Time (US). We typically have the answer posted within the hour.
Is this an official NYT site?
No. This is an unofficial fan site that mirrors the daily puzzle answers for quick reference. NYT Connections is a trademark of The New York Times Company.
Why progressive hints?
Most solver sites dump the full answer immediately. We let you peek at one group's theme at a time — preserving the satisfaction of solving the rest yourself.
Can I play Connections here?
Not yet — play the actual puzzle at nytimes.com/games/connections. We're here for when you get stuck.