Connections Hint
Puzzle #1141 · July 26, 2026

NYT Connections Hints for July 26, 2026

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

Sunday, July 26, 2026
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Today’s 16 Puzzle Words
Tap any word to see how it’s used in this puzzle
DVD PLAYERFIRST WORDSGAS STATIONPLASMA TVPASTRY CRUSTROWING BOATWET WEATHERROLLING OVERCARAPACESCOTCH MISTDISCMANSOLID FOODCRAWLINGLIQUID SUNSHINEBLACKBERRYAPRIL SHOWERS

Spoiler-Free Hints

Three levels — warmer as you read down
i Ultra safe

A direction for each group — no names given.

  • These capture early moments of growth and change.
  • Think about things that were once cutting-edge but are now nearly forgotten.
  • These describe something that falls from the sky, poetically.
  • The word 'shell' connects these in unexpected ways — look beyond the surface.
ii Warmer

What kind of thinking each group asks for.

  • Knowledge of infant development stages from birth through the first year will help.
  • Think of gadgets from the '90s and early 2000s that smartphones and streaming made obsolete.
  • You'll need to think about how people describe precipitation, including some charming and uncommon phrases.
  • The word 'shell' can mean many different things — think broadly about its definitions.
iii Mild spoilers

Pointed nudges on the words built to fool you.

  • These are all developmental milestones that pediatricians track during a baby's early life.
  • Each of these was a physical media or device format that once dominated but is now largely extinct.
  • These are all whimsical terms for rainy weather, ranging from the lyrical to the regional.
  • Each answer is something that the word shell can describe, such as a turtle's protective covering.

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.

SCOTCH MIST

It might first bring to mind a whiskey-based cocktail, not a poetic name for drizzly weather.

BLACKBERRY

Solvers may associate it with the fruit rather than a once-popular smartphone, leading to a food misgrouping.

FIRST WORDS

Its structure as a two-word phrase could falsely align with the rain expressions, which are all multi-word terms.

Connections Answers — July 26, 2026

Tap any group to reveal it
Answers are hidden — tap a group to peek, or reveal all at once.
BABY MILESTONES
SOLID FOOD · ROLLING OVER · FIRST WORDS · CRAWLING
Tap to reveal
OUTMODED CONSUMER TECH
PLASMA TV · BLACKBERRY · DISCMAN · DVD PLAYER
Tap to reveal
EXPRESSIONS FOR RAIN
LIQUID SUNSHINE · SCOTCH MIST · APRIL SHOWERS · WET WEATHER
Tap to reveal
WHAT "SHELL" MIGHT REFER TO
PASTRY CRUST · GAS STATION · ROWING BOAT · CARAPACE
Tap to reveal
SEE ALSO:
NYT Wordle hints for July 26, 2026 NYT Pips hints for July 26, 2026 NYT Strands hints for July 26, 2026

Category Breakdown — Puzzle #1141

Why each group works — not just what it is

BABY MILESTONES

CRAWLING, FIRST WORDS, ROLLING OVER, and SOLID FOOD are classic markers of infant development that every parent watches for. This group is straightforward once you spot the common theme.

OUTMODED CONSUMER TECH

BLACKBERRY, DISCMAN, DVD PLAYER, and PLASMA TV were once must-have gadgets but have since been replaced by more advanced technology. The group mixes brand names with generic product types, adding a touch of nostalgia.

EXPRESSIONS FOR RAIN

APRIL SHOWERS, LIQUID SUNSHINE, SCOTCH MIST, and WET WEATHER are all lyrical or regional ways to describe rain, with SCOTCH MIST being the most obscure and potentially misleading as a cocktail.

WHAT "SHELL" MIGHT REFER TO

CARAPACE (turtle shell), GAS STATION (Shell Oil), PASTRY CRUST (pie shell), and ROWING BOAT (racing shell) each correspond to a different meaning of 'shell.' It's a classic wordplay category that requires lateral thinking.

Word Guide — All 16 Puzzle Words

What each word means in this puzzle
DVD PLAYER
An electronic device that reads Digital Versatile Discs, a dominant home video format in the late 1990s and 2000s.
FIRST WORDS
The eagerly awaited moment when a baby utters its initial recognizable speech, often 'mama' or 'dada.'
GAS STATION
A retail fueling stop for vehicles, originally a specific brand (Shell) widely recognized by its scallop logo.
PLASMA TV
A flat-screen television technology popular in the mid-2000s, known for deep blacks but eventually eclipsed by LED and OLED.
PASTRY CRUST
The firm outer layer of a pie or tart, made from flour, fat, and water; sometimes called a pie shell.
ROWING BOAT
A light, narrow watercraft used in competitive rowing; also known as a racing shell for its sleek, fragile hull.
WET WEATHER
Generic, straightforward phrase meaning rainy or damp conditions, often used in forecasts and daily conversation.
ROLLING OVER
One of the first major physical skills an infant learns, typically occurring around 4 to 6 months of age.
CARAPACE
The hard outer shell protecting turtles, crustaceans, and some insects, made of chitin or bony plates.
SCOTCH MIST
A persistent, light drizzle common in Scotland; also famously a whiskey-based cocktail with a lemon twist.
DISCMAN
Sony's portable CD player brand, widely popular in the 1990s before digital music players like the iPod emerged.
SOLID FOOD
The transition from milk or formula to pureed and soft solids in an infant's diet, typically around 6 months.
CRAWLING
The stage when babies move on hands and knees, usually preceding walking and helping to develop coordination.
LIQUID SUNSHINE
A poetic and upbeat term for rain, often used in regions with frequent wet weather to put a positive spin on it.
BLACKBERRY
A line of smartphones with physical keyboards that was hugely popular in the early 2000s before touchscreens took over.
APRIL SHOWERS
A common expression for spring rain, inspired by the proverb that April's rains bring May's flowers.

Puzzle Design Analysis

Why the editor constructed it this way

Wyna Liu constructs a puzzle that hinges on a false food grouping trap: BLACKBERRY, SOLID FOOD, and PASTRY CRUST tempt solvers into a dead-end category. The 'shell' purple group is brilliantly deceptive, spanning brands, biology, and boating, forcing lateral thinking. Rain expressions add charm, while baby milestones offer a gentle entry point. The puzzle rewards both pop culture and wordplay knowledge.

Difficulty & Analysis

How tough today’s board really plays
Overall
6.2/10
Most deceptive
BLACKBERRY

a textbook decoy

Hardest group
SHELL MEANINGS

requires lateral thinking

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