What is the NYT Connections answer for July 23 (#1138)?

The four groups are SPHERICAL THINGS (BASEBALL, GLOBE, MARBLE, ORANGE); IN AN ANXIOUS STATE (EXCITED, FEBRILE, FRENETIC, INTENSE); PARTS OF AN AIRPORT (APRON, HANGAR, RUNWAY, TERMINAL); ENDING IN GEOMETRY TERMS (APPOINT, DEPLANE, FELINE, JANGLE).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "ENDING IN GEOMETRY TERMS" — 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 23, 2026#1138

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Thursday, July 23

DailyWordHints Editorial July 23

SPHERICAL THINGS

Easiest

IN AN ANXIOUS STATE

Easy

PARTS OF AN AIRPORT

Tricky

ENDING IN GEOMETRY TERMS

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are SPHERICAL THINGS (yellow), IN AN ANXIOUS STATE (green), PARTS OF AN AIRPORT (blue), ENDING IN GEOMETRY TERMS (purple).

JANGLE

INTENSE

ORANGE

FELINE

FEBRILE

BASEBALL

MARBLE

APRON

APPOINT

TERMINAL

EXCITED

RUNWAY

FRENETIC

HANGAR

DEPLANE

GLOBE

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 #1138, Thursday, July 23. 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 23 (#1138)?: The four groups are SPHERICAL THINGS (BASEBALL, GLOBE, MARBLE, ORANGE); IN AN ANXIOUS STATE (EXCITED, FEBRILE, FRENETIC, INTENSE); PARTS OF AN AIRPORT (APRON, HANGAR, RUNWAY, TERMINAL); ENDING IN GEOMETRY TERMS (APPOINT, DEPLANE, FELINE, JANGLE).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "ENDING IN GEOMETRY TERMS" — 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.