Connections Hint
Puzzle #1091 · June 6, 2026

NYT Connections Hints for June 6, 2026

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

Saturday, June 6, 2026
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Today’s 16 Puzzle Words
Tap any word to see how it’s used in this puzzle
DRAFTINGMONITORSHAFTDRAGONREGISTERTIMESEXPRESSPOSTBETRAYBASILISKSTAKEPOLEDISPLAYDINNERROUNDSKINK

Spoiler-Free Hints

Three levels — warmer as you read down
i Ultra safe

A direction for each group — no names given.

  • These words evoke a sense of standing firm and tall.
  • These are about making the internal, external.
  • There's something in these words that feels ancient and cloaked in mystery.
  • These words share an invisible bond — ignore what they mean.
ii Warmer

What kind of thinking each group asks for.

  • Think of structural elements that hold things up in construction.
  • These words are about making an internal feeling known to others, sometimes unintentionally.
  • These creatures all belong to a certain group of reptiles, often found in warm climates.
  • These words are the first parts of two-word phrases, all missing the same second word.
iii Mild spoilers

Pointed nudges on the words built to fool you.

  • All four words are upright supports—think of a column that holds something up.
  • These are all verbs that mean to show what you're feeling, often through facial expression.
  • These are all specific species of lizards, including some that sound mythical.
  • Each word teams up with a common piece of furniture to make a phrase you've heard many times.

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.

MONITOR

Often associated with screens or watching, this word lures solvers toward technology, not a scaly reptile.

REGISTER

It suggests cash or official records, but here it hides in the realm of emotional expression.

DRAGON

Mythical beast or fantasy creature? It's actually a real-world lizard, causing confusion with legendary categories.

STAKE

The mind jumps to vampire lore or a wager, but it's secretly a support structure, blending with horror or gaming.

Connections Answers — June 6, 2026

Tap any group to reveal it
Answers are hidden — tap a group to peek, or reveal all at once.
PILLAR
POST · SHAFT · STAKE · POLE
Tap to reveal
INDICATE, AS EMOTIONS
EXPRESS · REGISTER · DISPLAY · BETRAY
Tap to reveal
KINDS OF LIZARDS
DRAGON · MONITOR · SKINK · BASILISK
Tap to reveal
___ TABLE
DINNER · ROUND · TIMES · DRAFTING
Tap to reveal

Category Breakdown — Puzzle #1091

Why each group works — not just what it is

PILLAR

POLE, POST, SHAFT, and STAKE all refer to vertical supports, but their subtle differences (a stake might be driven into the ground, a shaft is more cylindrical) make this group subtly challenging.

INDICATE, AS EMOTIONS

BETRAY, DISPLAY, EXPRESS, and REGISTER all mean to show or reveal feelings, but REGISTER can also mean an official record, adding a layer of trickiness.

KINDS OF LIZARDS

BASILISK, DRAGON, MONITOR, and SKINK are all real lizard species, though DRAGON and BASILISK sound mythical, while MONITOR is better known as a screen.

___ TABLE

DINNER, DRAFTING, ROUND, and TIMES each combine with ‘table’ to form common phrases, with DRAFTING TABLE being the least familiar to some solvers.

Word Guide — All 16 Puzzle Words

What each word means in this puzzle
DRAFTING
The process of making technical drawings, often done on a specialized surface; here, it's part of a two-word phrase.
MONITOR
A screen or device for displaying information, but also a genus of large lizards found in Africa and Asia.
SHAFT
A long narrow part that supports or transmits motion, like in a column or an elevator.
DRAGON
A large reptilian creature from myth, but also a real type of lizard like the Komodo dragon.
REGISTER
To record or enroll officially, but also to show an emotion or reaction, like surprise.
TIMES
Multiples or instances; most commonly paired with a word for a flat surface in mathematics.
EXPRESS
To convey a thought or feeling through words or actions; also a fast train or coffee.
POST
An upright support in fences or structures; also a message on social media, but here it's about holding things up.
BETRAY
To reveal unintentionally, especially a secret or emotion; a powerful verb for showing feelings.
BASILISK
A lizard known as the 'Jesus Christ lizard' for its ability to run on water; also a mythical serpent.
STAKE
A pointed stick driven into the ground as a marker or support; also a wager, but in this puzzle it's a pillar.
POLE
A long slender piece of wood or metal, often used as a support; can also refer to the North or South Pole.
DISPLAY
To show or exhibit; in this puzzle, it's about revealing emotions, not a screen.
DINNER
The main meal of the day, often eaten in the evening; paired with a certain piece of furniture for a common phrase.
ROUND
Curved or circular in shape; can also mean a stage in a competition; here, it forms a phrase with a piece of furniture.
SKINK
A type of lizard with a smooth, shiny body and short legs, found worldwide; not a skunk or a misspelling.

Puzzle Design Analysis

Why the editor constructed it this way

The puzzle's center of gravity is ___ TABLE, where TIMES is the deliberate outlier —most solvers land DINNER, ROUND, and DRAFTING quickly, then stall searching for a fourth that doesn't feel invented. The lizard category works through misdirection: DRAGON and MONITOR both carry dominant non-lizard identities, pulling solvers toward mythology and surveillance before the reptile connection clicks. BETRAY does the same in the emotions group by reversing its usual moral weight —here it describes an involuntary disclosure rather than a deliberate act. The construction rewards players who resist the first and most obvious frame for each word.

Difficulty & Analysis

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

a textbook decoy

Hardest group
___ TABLE

requires lateral thinking

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