What is the NYT Connections answer for July 16 (#1131)?

The four groups are SKINCARE PRODUCTS (CLAY MASK, EYE CREAM, PEEL, TONER); SHADES OF BLACK (CHARCOAL, INK, JET, PITCH); ASSOCIATED WITH PRECISION (BULLSEYE, CLOCKWORK, LASER, NEEDLE); STARTING WITH TINY MARKS (DOT MATRIX, PERIOD PIECE, POINT BREAK, SPOT REMOVER).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "STARTING WITH TINY MARKS" — 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.

Thursday, July 16, 2026#1131

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Thursday, July 16

DailyWordHints Editorial July 16

SKINCARE PRODUCTS

Easiest

SHADES OF BLACK

Easy

ASSOCIATED WITH PRECISION

Tricky

STARTING WITH TINY MARKS

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are SKINCARE PRODUCTS (yellow), SHADES OF BLACK (green), ASSOCIATED WITH PRECISION (blue), STARTING WITH TINY MARKS (purple).

NEEDLE

INK

JET

DOT MATRIX

TONER

POINT BREAK

LASER

CHARCOAL

PEEL

PITCH

PERIOD PIECE

BULLSEYE

SPOT REMOVER

EYE CREAM

CLOCKWORK

CLAY MASK

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 #1131, Thursday, July 16. 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 16 (#1131)?: The four groups are SKINCARE PRODUCTS (CLAY MASK, EYE CREAM, PEEL, TONER); SHADES OF BLACK (CHARCOAL, INK, JET, PITCH); ASSOCIATED WITH PRECISION (BULLSEYE, CLOCKWORK, LASER, NEEDLE); STARTING WITH TINY MARKS (DOT MATRIX, PERIOD PIECE, POINT BREAK, SPOT REMOVER).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "STARTING WITH TINY MARKS" — 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.