What is the NYT Connections answer for May 26 (#1080)?

The four groups are CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS (CUP, MEDAL, PENNANT, RING); MATTER AT HAND (CONCERN, FOCUS, POINT, SUBJECT); '80S COMEDIES (AIRPLANE, BIG, CLUE, TWINS); ANAGRAMS (ENLIST, LISTEN, SILENT, TINSEL).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "ANAGRAMS" — 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 26, 2026#1080

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Tuesday, May 26

DailyWordHints Editorial May 26

CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS

Easiest

MATTER AT HAND

Easy

'80S COMEDIES

Tricky

ANAGRAMS

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS (yellow), MATTER AT HAND (green), '80S COMEDIES (blue), ANAGRAMS (purple).

BIG

RING

TINSEL

FOCUS

AIRPLANE

CUP

POINT

SILENT

LISTEN

CLUE

SUBJECT

TWINS

PENNANT

ENLIST

CONCERN

MEDAL

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 #1080, Tuesday, May 26. 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 26 (#1080)?: The four groups are CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS (CUP, MEDAL, PENNANT, RING); MATTER AT HAND (CONCERN, FOCUS, POINT, SUBJECT); '80S COMEDIES (AIRPLANE, BIG, CLUE, TWINS); ANAGRAMS (ENLIST, LISTEN, SILENT, TINSEL).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "ANAGRAMS" — 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.