What is the NYT Connections answer for July 31 (#1146)?

The four groups are CONSTRUCT (FASHION, MODEL, MOLD, SHAPE); SUPER MARIO FIGURES (DINOSAUR, MUSHROOM, PLUMBER, PRINCESS); FRUITS PLUS STARTING LETTER (DAPPLE, JDATE, SLIME, SPEAR); STARTING WITH MERRIMENTS (CHEERIOS, FUNGUS, GLEEK, JOYSTICK).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "STARTING WITH MERRIMENTS" — 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 31, 2026#1146

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Friday, July 31

DailyWordHints Editorial July 31

CONSTRUCT

Easiest

SUPER MARIO FIGURES

Easy

FRUITS PLUS STARTING LETTER

Tricky

STARTING WITH MERRIMENTS

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are CONSTRUCT (yellow), SUPER MARIO FIGURES (green), FRUITS PLUS STARTING LETTER (blue), STARTING WITH MERRIMENTS (purple).

MOLD

SPEAR

DAPPLE

PRINCESS

MUSHROOM

JOYSTICK

SLIME

FUNGUS

CHEERIOS

DINOSAUR

FASHION

MODEL

GLEEK

SHAPE

PLUMBER

JDATE

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 #1146, Friday, July 31. 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 31 (#1146)?: The four groups are CONSTRUCT (FASHION, MODEL, MOLD, SHAPE); SUPER MARIO FIGURES (DINOSAUR, MUSHROOM, PLUMBER, PRINCESS); FRUITS PLUS STARTING LETTER (DAPPLE, JDATE, SLIME, SPEAR); STARTING WITH MERRIMENTS (CHEERIOS, FUNGUS, GLEEK, JOYSTICK).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "STARTING WITH MERRIMENTS" — 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.