Connections Hint
Puzzle #1136 · July 21, 2026

NYT Connections Hints for July 21, 2026

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

Tuesday, July 21, 2026
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Today’s 16 Puzzle Words
Tap any word to see how it’s used in this puzzle
PLUGINMUSICPROMPTERKINESISTUBEBOOKAPPTANKHALTEREXTENSIONGRAMDRIVERVISIONCROPLYRICSORCHESTRATION

Spoiler-Free Hints

Three levels — warmer as you read down
i Ultra safe

A direction for each group — no names given.

  • These words are all about what you might wear on sunny days.
  • They're the extra pieces you add to your digital toolkit.
  • These are ingredients that make a performance sing.
  • Each word is waiting for a short partner to become whole.
ii Warmer

What kind of thinking each group asks for.

  • From the world of fashion: these are all styles of a specific upper-body garment.
  • In computing, these are supplementary programs you might download from an online store.
  • Think of a Broadway show: what fundamental elements must it have?
  • Look at the start of these words: they all share a missing common prefix.
iii Mild spoilers

Pointed nudges on the words built to fool you.

  • Each is a type of women's top — think cropped, neck-tie, sleeveless, and strapless.
  • These are downloadable software modules — from full applications to tiny add-ons.
  • These are the four pillars of musical theatre: script, words, tunes, and instrumental arrangement.
  • Add the same prefix to each to form words about remote communication and mind power.

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.

CROP

This word brings to mind farming or photography, but here it belongs to a very different realm.

BOOK

Seems like a bound volume of pages, but it's actually a theatrical term.

GRAM

Commonly a unit of mass, it's part of a longer word for an old communication method.

TANK

Evokes armored vehicles or aquariums, not something you'd wear.

Connections Answers — July 21, 2026

Tap any group to reveal it
Answers are hidden — tap a group to peek, or reveal all at once.
KINDS OF TOPS
TUBE · CROP · TANK · HALTER
Tap to reveal
SOFTWARE DOWNLOADS
DRIVER · APP · EXTENSION · PLUGIN
Tap to reveal
ELEMENTS OF A MUSICAL
MUSIC · BOOK · ORCHESTRATION · LYRICS
Tap to reveal
TELE___
GRAM · VISION · KINESIS · PROMPTER
Tap to reveal
SEE ALSO:
NYT Wordle hints for July 21, 2026 NYT Pips hints for July 21, 2026 NYT Strands hints for July 21, 2026

Category Breakdown — Puzzle #1136

Why each group works — not just what it is

KINDS OF TOPS

These four words all name styles of women's tops: CROP (short, exposes midriff), HALTER (ties behind neck), TANK (sleeveless, often with straps), and TUBE (strapless, cylindrical).

SOFTWARE DOWNLOADS

These are all types of software add-ons you can install: an APP, a device DRIVER, a browser EXTENSION, and a PLUGIN that enhances an existing program.

ELEMENTS OF A MUSICAL

The four essential components of a stage musical: the BOOK (script), LYRICS, MUSIC, and ORCHESTRATION (the instrumental arrangement).

TELE___

Each word forms a familiar term when prefixed with 'TELE': TELEGRAM, TELEKINESIS, TELEPROMPTER, and TELEVISION.

Word Guide — All 16 Puzzle Words

What each word means in this puzzle
PLUGIN
A software component that adds a specific feature to an existing computer program.
MUSIC
Vocal or instrumental sounds combined to produce harmony and expression.
PROMPTER
A person or device that reminds a speaker of their lines; part of a term for an on-screen script viewer.
KINESIS
Movement of an organism in response to a stimulus; part of a term for the psychic ability to move objects.
TUBE
A strapless, cylindrical women's top that stays up by elastic.
BOOK
In musical theater, the spoken dialogue and storyline script as opposed to the songs.
APP
A self-contained program downloaded to a phone or computer to perform a specific task.
TANK
A sleeveless, usually tight-fitting top with shoulder straps.
HALTER
A top held up by a strap around the neck, leaving the back and shoulders bare.
EXTENSION
A small software module that adds functionality to a web browser.
GRAM
A metric unit of mass; here it's part of a word for an old communication method.
DRIVER
Software that lets a computer communicate with a hardware device like a printer.
VISION
The ability to see; part of a word for a system that transmits moving images.
CROP
A kind of top that is cut short to expose the wearer's midriff.
LYRICS
The words of a song, as distinct from its melody.
ORCHESTRATION
The arrangement of a musical composition for an orchestra.

Puzzle Design Analysis

Why the editor constructed it this way

This puzzle thrives on double meanings: CROP and TANK read as farming and military, not fashion; BOOK hides its theatrical sense. The purple category uses the classic prefix trick with 'TELE,' while ORCHESTRATION adds a sophisticated musical theater layer. The editor scatters soft misdirections (GRAM as weight, HALTER as horse gear) to gently split solvers' attention across groups, rewarding pattern recognition over vocabulary.

Difficulty & Analysis

How tough today’s board really plays
Overall
6.0/10
Most deceptive
CROP

a textbook decoy

Hardest group
TELE___

requires lateral thinking

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