What is the NYT Connections answer for May 15 (#1069)?

The four groups are NAVIGATE THROUGH, AS A RIVER (CROSS, FORD, TRAVERSE, WADE); MULTI-TIME NBA MVPS (BIRD, CURRY, JAMES, JORDAN); NON-PALINDROMIC WORDS IN A FAMOUS PALINDROME (ABLE, ELBA, SAW, WAS); HOMOPHONES OF KINDS OF DOGS, FAMILIARLY (CIAO, PALM, PEEK, PITT).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "HOMOPHONES OF KINDS OF DOGS, FAMILIARLY" — 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.

Friday, May 15, 2026#1069

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Friday, May 15

DailyWordHints Editorial May 15

NAVIGATE THROUGH, AS A RIVER

Easiest

MULTI-TIME NBA MVPS

Easy

NON-PALINDROMIC WORDS IN A FAMOUS PALINDROME

Tricky

HOMOPHONES OF KINDS OF DOGS, FAMILIARLY

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are NAVIGATE THROUGH, AS A RIVER (yellow), MULTI-TIME NBA MVPS (green), NON-PALINDROMIC WORDS IN A FAMOUS PALINDROME (blue), HOMOPHONES OF KINDS OF DOGS, FAMILIARLY (purple).

SAW

JORDAN

CROSS

PITT

ELBA

PALM

CIAO

FORD

WADE

BIRD

WAS

CURRY

JAMES

PEEK

ABLE

TRAVERSE

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 #1069, Friday, May 15. 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 15 (#1069)?: The four groups are NAVIGATE THROUGH, AS A RIVER (CROSS, FORD, TRAVERSE, WADE); MULTI-TIME NBA MVPS (BIRD, CURRY, JAMES, JORDAN); NON-PALINDROMIC WORDS IN A FAMOUS PALINDROME (ABLE, ELBA, SAW, WAS); HOMOPHONES OF KINDS OF DOGS, FAMILIARLY (CIAO, PALM, PEEK, PITT).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "HOMOPHONES OF KINDS OF DOGS, FAMILIARLY" — 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.