What is the NYT Connections answer for June 12 (#1097)?

The four groups are STARTING WITH INCANTATIONS (CHARM BRACELET, CURSE WORD, HEX KEY, SPELL CHECKER); STARTING WITH ANIMAL GROUP NAMES (MURDER MYSTERY, PACK RAT, PRIDE ROCK, SCHOOL DAYS); STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "REPEAT" (COPY EDITOR, ECHO PARK, MIRROR SELFIE, QUOTE UNQUOTE); STARTING WITH PARTS OF A RIVER (BANK TELLER, BED HEAD, DELTA AIRLINES, MOUTH GUARD).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "STARTING WITH PARTS OF A RIVER" — 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, June 12, 2026#1097

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Friday, June 12

DailyWordHints Editorial June 12

STARTING WITH INCANTATIONS

Easiest

STARTING WITH ANIMAL GROUP NAMES

Easy

STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "REPEAT"

Tricky

STARTING WITH PARTS OF A RIVER

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are STARTING WITH INCANTATIONS (yellow), STARTING WITH ANIMAL GROUP NAMES (green), STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "REPEAT" (blue), STARTING WITH PARTS OF A RIVER (purple).

SCHOOL DAYS

BED HEAD

QUOTE UNQUOTE

CURSE WORD

COPY EDITOR

SPELL CHECKER

BANK TELLER

PACK RAT

CHARM BRACELET

MURDER MYSTERY

MIRROR SELFIE

MOUTH GUARD

PRIDE ROCK

ECHO PARK

DELTA AIRLINES

HEX KEY

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 #1097, Friday, June 12. 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 June 12 (#1097)?: The four groups are STARTING WITH INCANTATIONS (CHARM BRACELET, CURSE WORD, HEX KEY, SPELL CHECKER); STARTING WITH ANIMAL GROUP NAMES (MURDER MYSTERY, PACK RAT, PRIDE ROCK, SCHOOL DAYS); STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "REPEAT" (COPY EDITOR, ECHO PARK, MIRROR SELFIE, QUOTE UNQUOTE); STARTING WITH PARTS OF A RIVER (BANK TELLER, BED HEAD, DELTA AIRLINES, MOUTH GUARD).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "STARTING WITH PARTS OF A RIVER" — 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.