What is the NYT Connections answer for July 27 (#1142)?

The four groups are GYMNASTICS APPARATUS (BEAM, HORSE, RINGS, VAULT); LONG TAPERED THINGS (CARROT, ICICLE, KNITTING NEEDLE, STALACTITE); KINDS OF SHIFTS (DOPPLER, GRAVEYARD, PARADIGM, STICK); ICONS ON A SHOPPING SITE (BELL, CART, HEART, MAGNIFYING GLASS).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "ICONS ON A SHOPPING SITE" — 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.

Monday, July 27, 2026#1142

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Monday, July 27

DailyWordHints Editorial July 27

GYMNASTICS APPARATUS

Easiest

LONG TAPERED THINGS

Easy

KINDS OF SHIFTS

Tricky

ICONS ON A SHOPPING SITE

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are GYMNASTICS APPARATUS (yellow), LONG TAPERED THINGS (green), KINDS OF SHIFTS (blue), ICONS ON A SHOPPING SITE (purple).

CART

HORSE

CARROT

STICK

KNITTING NEEDLE

MAGNIFYING GLASS

BEAM

GRAVEYARD

BELL

ICICLE

RINGS

HEART

PARADIGM

STALACTITE

DOPPLER

VAULT

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 #1142, Monday, July 27. 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 27 (#1142)?: The four groups are GYMNASTICS APPARATUS (BEAM, HORSE, RINGS, VAULT); LONG TAPERED THINGS (CARROT, ICICLE, KNITTING NEEDLE, STALACTITE); KINDS OF SHIFTS (DOPPLER, GRAVEYARD, PARADIGM, STICK); ICONS ON A SHOPPING SITE (BELL, CART, HEART, MAGNIFYING GLASS).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "ICONS ON A SHOPPING SITE" — 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.