What is the NYT Connections answer for July 8 (#1123)?

The four groups are CUT INTO THIN PIECES (GRATE, PLANE, SHAVE, SLIVER); MOTIF (DRIFT, PLOT, THEME, THREAD); GUITAR-PLAYING TECHNIQUES (PICK, PLUCK, STRUM, TAP); HOUSE OF ___ (CARDS, LORDS, WAX, WORSHIP).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "HOUSE OF ___" — 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.

Wednesday, July 8, 2026#1123

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Wednesday, July 8

DailyWordHints Editorial July 8

CUT INTO THIN PIECES

Easiest

MOTIF

Easy

GUITAR-PLAYING TECHNIQUES

Tricky

HOUSE OF ___

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are CUT INTO THIN PIECES (yellow), MOTIF (green), GUITAR-PLAYING TECHNIQUES (blue), HOUSE OF ___ (purple).

DRIFT

PLANE

WAX

PLOT

PLUCK

CARDS

SHAVE

THREAD

GRATE

PICK

WORSHIP

TAP

LORDS

STRUM

THEME

SLIVER

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 #1123, Wednesday, July 8. 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 8 (#1123)?: The four groups are CUT INTO THIN PIECES (GRATE, PLANE, SHAVE, SLIVER); MOTIF (DRIFT, PLOT, THEME, THREAD); GUITAR-PLAYING TECHNIQUES (PICK, PLUCK, STRUM, TAP); HOUSE OF ___ (CARDS, LORDS, WAX, WORSHIP).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "HOUSE OF ___" — 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.