Connections Hint
Puzzle #1125 · July 10, 2026

NYT Connections Hints for July 10, 2026

Start with the spoiler-free hints. Go deeper only when you need to. Reveal answers on your own terms.

Friday, July 10, 2026
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Today’s 16 Puzzle Words
Tap any word to see how it’s used in this puzzle
AIRPLANE MODELOCATION SERVICESHOTSPOTERASUREFRESH-BAKEDOUTKASTÀ LA MODEDO NOT DISTURBSTRIKE A POSEMOLTENDECADENTSAFE MODEBALL GOWNDEPECHE MODEPET SHOP BOYSNEW ORDER

Spoiler-Free Hints

Three levels — warmer as you read down
i Ultra safe

A direction for each group — no names given.

  • Toggle these to control interruptions and connections.
  • Tempting words that promise richness and delight.
  • British groups that shaped a keyboard-driven era.
  • These words share an invisible bond — ignore what they mean.
ii Warmer

What kind of thinking each group asks for.

  • You’ll find these toggles in the quick-access panel of your mobile phone.
  • Rich words that a server uses to describe the final course.
  • Electronic music groups that dominated UK charts in the 1980s.
  • Each term starts with a word that an umpire might shout.
iii Mild spoilers

Pointed nudges on the words built to fool you.

  • These are common settings on a smartphone, toggled for connectivity, focus, or privacy.
  • These words describe desserts in ways that make them sound rich and irresistible.
  • Four British bands that defined the synthesizer sound of the 1980s, with a dark or danceable edge.
  • Each phrase begins with a baseball call like something an umpire yells, turning it into something else entirely.

Today’s Trap Words

The words engineered to mislead

Every Connections board plants a few decoys. Here are today’s, and why they pull you the wrong way.

AIRPLANE MODE

Its 'MODE' ending suggests a false group with DEPECHE MODE, À LA MODE, and SAFE MODE, but it truly belongs with phone-related terms.

DEPECHE MODE

Despite 'MODE' in its name, it's actually a band, not part of a wordplay group based on that suffix.

SAFE MODE

The word 'MODE' may mislead you to group it with the others, but it's actually a baseball-call-starting phrase.

OUTKAST

It sounds like a music group, which may snag you into the wrong decade; it's not from the 80s synth-pop era.

Connections Answers — July 10, 2026

Tap any group to reveal it
Answers are hidden — tap a group to peek, or reveal all at once.
SMARTPHONE SETTINGS
DO NOT DISTURB · AIRPLANE MODE · HOTSPOT · LOCATION SERVICES
Tap to reveal
DESSERT MENU DESCRIPTORS
FRESH-BAKED · À LA MODE · DECADENT · MOLTEN
Tap to reveal
'80S SYNTH-POP BANDS
DEPECHE MODE · ERASURE · NEW ORDER · PET SHOP BOYS
Tap to reveal
STARTING WITH BASEBALL CALLS
OUTKAST · BALL GOWN · STRIKE A POSE · SAFE MODE
Tap to reveal
SEE ALSO:
NYT Wordle hints for July 10, 2026 NYT Pips hints for July 10, 2026 NYT Strands hints for July 10, 2026

Category Breakdown — Puzzle #1125

Why each group works — not just what it is

SMARTPHONE SETTINGS

These are all common features you'd toggle on or off in the settings menu of a mobile phone, controlling connectivity, alerts, and location.

DESSERT MENU DESCRIPTORS

These rich, enticing words are often used on menus to make sweets sound especially decadent and appealing.

'80S SYNTH-POP BANDS

Four iconic bands that dominated the synthesizer-driven pop scene of the 1980s, all hailing from the UK.

STARTING WITH BASEBALL CALLS

Each of these phrases begins with a word that an umpire calls out during a baseball game: ball, out, safe, and strike.

Word Guide — All 16 Puzzle Words

What each word means in this puzzle
AIRPLANE MODE
A mobile setting that disables all wireless signals, required during flights to prevent interference.
LOCATION SERVICES
A feature allowing apps to access your device’s GPS or network position for maps, weather, and more.
HOTSPOT
A portable Wi-Fi zone created by a phone or device that lets other gadgets connect to the internet.
ERASURE
The act of wiping out or removing something entirely; also a popular British synth-pop duo from the 80s.
FRESH-BAKED
Describes bread, cookies, or pastries that have just emerged warm from the oven, suggesting irresistible freshness.
OUTKAST
An Atlanta-based hip-hop duo famous for blending funk, rap, and pop in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
À LA MODE
French for 'in the fashion'; in American diners, it means a dish topped with a scoop of ice cream, typically pie.
DO NOT DISTURB
A phone or device mode that blocks calls and alerts so you can work, sleep, or enjoy quiet time.
STRIKE A POSE
To deliberately hold a dramatic or stylish posture, as for a photo; 'strike' is a baseball term too.
MOLTEN
Reduced to liquid by extreme heat, like lava or chocolate, often used to describe a gooey dessert center.
DECADENT
Luxuriously indulgent, often used to describe rich, creamy, or sinful-tasting desserts.
SAFE MODE
A computer's minimal diagnostic state, but also a two-word phrase starting with a baseball umpire’s call.
BALL GOWN
A long, fancy dress designed for formal dances or galas, where 'ball' refers to the event itself.
DEPECHE MODE
An English electronic band from the 80s and 90s known for dark synths and hits like 'Personal Jesus.'
PET SHOP BOYS
A British synth-pop duo known for witty, theatrical dance hits and a string of 80s and 90s chart-toppers.
NEW ORDER
A British band that rose from Joy Division’s ashes, pioneering electronic rock and dance music in the 80s.

Puzzle Design Analysis

Why the editor constructed it this way

The editors created a fiendish red herring by scattering the suffix 'MODE' across four categories, forcing players to look past surface similarities. OUTKAST, a band but from a different era, adds further confusion to the music group. This puzzle tests both cultural knowledge and wordplay recognition, rewarding solvers who resist easy pattern-matching.

Difficulty & Analysis

How tough today’s board really plays
Overall
7.5/10
Most deceptive
SAFE MODE

a textbook decoy

Hardest group
Baseball Call Starts

requires lateral thinking

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