What is the NYT Connections answer for July 3 (#1118)?

The four groups are POSITIVE FEELINGS (BLISS, FELICITY, HAPPINESS, WARM FUZZIES); RETRO EXPRESSIONS OF APPROVAL (COOL BEANS, FAR OUT, GROOVY, RIGHT ON); BAD THINGS TO GIVE SOMEONE (COLD SHOULDER, DIRTY LOOK, HARD TIME, RUNAROUND); WHAT THINGS PRONOUNCED "T" MIGHT REFER TO (GOLF ACCESSORY, GOSSIP, HOT DRINK, SHIRT).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "WHAT THINGS PRONOUNCED "T" MIGHT REFER TO" — 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, July 3, 2026#1118

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Friday, July 3

DailyWordHints Editorial July 3

POSITIVE FEELINGS

Easiest

RETRO EXPRESSIONS OF APPROVAL

Easy

BAD THINGS TO GIVE SOMEONE

Tricky

WHAT THINGS PRONOUNCED "T" MIGHT REFER TO

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are POSITIVE FEELINGS (yellow), RETRO EXPRESSIONS OF APPROVAL (green), BAD THINGS TO GIVE SOMEONE (blue), WHAT THINGS PRONOUNCED "T" MIGHT REFER TO (purple).

HOT DRINK

RUNAROUND

FELICITY

SHIRT

WARM FUZZIES

GOSSIP

COOL BEANS

DIRTY LOOK

COLD SHOULDER

HAPPINESS

RIGHT ON

HARD TIME

FAR OUT

GOLF ACCESSORY

BLISS

GROOVY

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 #1118, Friday, July 3. 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 July 3 (#1118)?: The four groups are POSITIVE FEELINGS (BLISS, FELICITY, HAPPINESS, WARM FUZZIES); RETRO EXPRESSIONS OF APPROVAL (COOL BEANS, FAR OUT, GROOVY, RIGHT ON); BAD THINGS TO GIVE SOMEONE (COLD SHOULDER, DIRTY LOOK, HARD TIME, RUNAROUND); WHAT THINGS PRONOUNCED "T" MIGHT REFER TO (GOLF ACCESSORY, GOSSIP, HOT DRINK, SHIRT).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "WHAT THINGS PRONOUNCED "T" MIGHT REFER TO" — 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.