What is the NYT Connections answer for May 5 (#1059)?

The four groups are GLIMMER (FLICKER, HINT, SUGGESTION, WHIFF); INVOLUNTARY ACTIONS (BLINK, HICCUP, SHIVER, SNEEZE); KINDS OF KNOTS (BEND, BOWLINE, HITCH, SHEEPSHANK); STARTING WITH UNITS IN COMPETITIONS (GAMELAN, MATCHSTICK, POINTER, SETBACK).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "STARTING WITH UNITS IN COMPETITIONS" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.

What do the Connections colors mean?

Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.

Tuesday, May 5, 2026#1059

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Tuesday, May 5

DailyWordHints Editorial May 5

GLIMMER

Easiest

INVOLUNTARY ACTIONS

Easy

KINDS OF KNOTS

Tricky

STARTING WITH UNITS IN COMPETITIONS

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are GLIMMER (yellow), INVOLUNTARY ACTIONS (green), KINDS OF KNOTS (blue), STARTING WITH UNITS IN COMPETITIONS (purple).

HINT

HITCH

POINTER

HICCUP

BEND

SETBACK

BLINK

SUGGESTION

SNEEZE

WHIFF

SHIVER

FLICKER

GAMELAN

SHEEPSHANK

MATCHSTICK

BOWLINE

Hints by group

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

Full answers below

Today’s answers

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

See all past Connections puzzles →

Today's Connections hints (no answers yet)

Here are spoiler-free nudges for NYT Connections #1059, Tuesday, May 5. Reveal one color at a time and work from the easiest group (yellow) to the trickiest (purple).

How to use these hints

Each clue is written so it never names any of the sixteen words — it just points you in the right direction. Open the full answer only once you're truly stuck.

Strategy for solving today's grid

Lock in the group you're most confident about first to shrink the board, but resist the obvious four-of-a-kind — the puzzle almost always plants a word that fits two themes. Save the purple group for last; it usually hides the wordplay twist.

Frequently asked questions

What is the NYT Connections answer for May 5 (#1059)?: The four groups are GLIMMER (FLICKER, HINT, SUGGESTION, WHIFF); INVOLUNTARY ACTIONS (BLINK, HICCUP, SHIVER, SNEEZE); KINDS OF KNOTS (BEND, BOWLINE, HITCH, SHEEPSHANK); STARTING WITH UNITS IN COMPETITIONS (GAMELAN, MATCHSTICK, POINTER, SETBACK).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "STARTING WITH UNITS IN COMPETITIONS" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.
What do the Connections colors mean?: Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.