Connections Hint
Puzzle #1135 · July 20, 2026

NYT Connections Hints for July 20, 2026

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

Monday, July 20, 2026
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Today’s 16 Puzzle Words
Tap any word to see how it’s used in this puzzle
BLAREALEXAICONBUTTONOYSTERTRUMPETMEADOWWISDOMLINKHERALDSOUNDSAKESSWINEMENUPORTOBELLOBUBBLE TEA

Spoiler-Free Hints

Three levels — warmer as you read down
i Ultra safe

A direction for each group — no names given.

  • These words share a vibe of loudness and making things known.
  • These words are all about interaction and choice.
  • These words are tied together by something shiny and metaphorical.
  • These words share an unusual connection — look beyond their usual meanings.
ii Warmer

What kind of thinking each group asks for.

  • Consider ways to make a public declaration.
  • These are all elements you'd find in a graphical user interface.
  • Each word ties to a precious, iridescent sphere formed by certain mollusks.
  • The connection lies in how these words begin, not in what they mean.
iii Mild spoilers

Pointed nudges on the words built to fool you.

  • All four words are synonyms for proclaiming something loudly or publicly.
  • These all refer to clickable interactive elements in a user interface.
  • Each word appears alongside 'pearl' in a well-known phrase, dish, or source of the gem.
  • Each word starts with the name of an alcoholic beverage, like a wine or beer.

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.

ALEXA

This tech giant name seems at home with computer interface terms, but its connection is all about the first three letters.

PORTOBELLO

It appears to be a simple food word, but its significance is hidden in the name of a fortified wine at the start.

SAKES

On the surface it's the plural of a Japanese alcoholic drink, which might mislead you into a drinks group that doesn't exist.

Connections Answers — July 20, 2026

Tap any group to reveal it
Answers are hidden — tap a group to peek, or reveal all at once.
ANNOUNCE
SOUND · TRUMPET · HERALD · BLARE
Tap to reveal
THINGS TO CLICK
BUTTON · MENU · ICON · LINK
Tap to reveal
ASSOCIATED WITH PEARLS
OYSTER · WISDOM · BUBBLE TEA · SWINE
Tap to reveal
STARTING WITH ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
MEADOW · PORTOBELLO · SAKES · ALEXA
Tap to reveal
SEE ALSO:
NYT Wordle hints for July 20, 2026 NYT Pips hints for July 20, 2026 NYT Strands hints for July 20, 2026

Category Breakdown — Puzzle #1135

Why each group works — not just what it is

ANNOUNCE

BLARE, HERALD, SOUND, and TRUMPET all mean to proclaim or make something known publicly, often with a loud or formal tone. This synonym group offers an easy warm-up without hidden tricks.

THINGS TO CLICK

BUTTON, ICON, LINK, and MENU are all interactive elements you click on in a computer interface. The set is instantly familiar to anyone who uses the web, cementing its medium difficulty.

ASSOCIATED WITH PEARLS

BUBBLE TEA contains tapioca pearls, OYSTER produces pearls, SWINE appears in 'pearls before swine,' and WISDOM in 'pearls of wisdom.' This category rewards cultural and idiomatic knowledge across diverse domains.

STARTING WITH ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

ALEXA (ALE), MEADOW (MEAD), PORTOBELLO (PORT), and SAKES (SAKE) all begin with the name of an alcoholic drink. The wordplay forces solvers to ignore the words' meanings and focus on their first letters for a classic purple-tier twist.

Word Guide — All 16 Puzzle Words

What each word means in this puzzle
BLARE
To sound loudly and harshly, like a car horn. It's a synonym for making a noisy announcement.
ALEXA
The name of Amazon's voice assistant, often triggered by spoken commands. Here, it hides the name of a beer at its start.
ICON
A religious image or a graphical symbol on a computer desktop. It's an element you often click to open applications.
BUTTON
A small fastener on clothing or a control you press on a device. In this puzzle, it's something you'd click on a screen.
OYSTER
A marine mollusk that can produce pearls. It's central to one of the puzzle's less obvious themes.
TRUMPET
A brass musical instrument known for its bright, loud tone. It also means to proclaim loudly, fitting a certain theme.
MEADOW
A field of grass and wildflowers. Its first four letters name a honey-based alcoholic drink.
WISDOM
The quality of having experience and good judgment. It pairs with a certain gem in the phrase 'pearls of wisdom.'
LINK
A connection between two things, or a hyperlink on a webpage. You click it to navigate.
HERALD
An official messenger or announcer, often associated with proclamations. A word tied to making things known.
SOUND
A noise or something you hear. It can also mean to proclaim or measure depth, but the announcement sense is key.
SAKES
This looks like the plural of a Japanese rice wine, but its role here is more about its first four letters.
SWINE
A pig or contemptible person. It appears in the biblical idiom 'pearls before swine,' linking it to a precious gem.
MENU
A list of options, whether at a restaurant or in a software application. Something you interact with to make a selection.
PORTOBELLO
A large, mature mushroom often grilled. It starts with a type of fortified wine, a delightful hidden clue.
BUBBLE TEA
A Taiwanese tea drink containing chewy tapioca balls, which resemble pearls. This turns a beverage into a clue.

Puzzle Design Analysis

Why the editor constructed it this way

The editor cleverly used ALEXA as a digital-age decoy, tempting solvers to slot it with BUTTON and ICON. The pearl group demands associative thinking across idioms and cuisine, while the purple category's drink-initial trick punishes those who take words at face value. The puzzle balances familiar synonym sets with out-of-left-field wordplay, a hallmark of a well-calibrated Connections grid.

Difficulty & Analysis

How tough today’s board really plays
Overall
6.5/10
Most deceptive
ALEXA

a textbook decoy

Hardest group
ALCOHOL STARTERS

requires lateral thinking

Connections Strategy Guides

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