NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, July 2 (game #1117)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Wednesday, July 1 (game #1116).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1117) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

MOCKINGBIRD

FIELD MOUSE

TOM-TOM

COURT JESTER

MIME

LOOKING GLASS

TRACK RECORD

BILLY GOAT

DIAMOND RING

SPECTACLES

DAN DAN NOODLES

COPYCAT

TALKIE

RICH TEXT

T-1000

WATER CLOSET

NYT Connections today (game #1117) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: Duplicating

GREEN: The past in the present

BLUE: Begin with gents

PURPLE: Sporty beginnings

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

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NYT Connections today (game #1117) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: THEY IMPERSONATE OTHER THINGS

GREEN: OLD-TIMEY NAMES FOR THINGS WE STILL USE

BLUE: STARTING WITH NICKNAMES

PURPLE: STARTING WITH SPORTS VENUES

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1117) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1117, are…

YELLOW: THEY IMPERSONATE OTHER THINGS COPYCAT, MIME, MOCKINGBIRD, T-1000

GREEN: OLD-TIMEY NAMES FOR THINGS WE STILL USE LOOKING GLASS, SPECTACLES, TALKIE, WATER CLOSET

BLUE: STARTING WITH NICKNAMES BILLY GOAT, DAN DAN NOODLES, RICH TEXT, TOM-TOM

PURPLE: STARTING WITH SPORTS VENUES COURT JESTER, DIAMOND RING, FIELD MOUSE, TRACK RECORD

My rating: Hard

My score: Perfect

It’s not often I get a purple first, so I’m thrilled that I took a risk on DIAMOND RING as I thought that the group was strictly about athletics, rather than generally STARTING WITH SPORTS VENUES.

After this triumph I took another risk – COPYCAT, MIME, and MOCKINGBIRD all seemed to be about copying, but with no other obvious tile I guessed that T-1000 was the name of a photocopying machine.

T-1000 is, of course, not a photocopier but the terrifying killing machine in Terminator 2, played by the great Robert Patrick.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, July 1, game #1116)

YELLOW: THINGS NAMED AFTER PLACES CHAMPAGNE, CHINA, COLOGNE, LIMERICK

GREEN: BEST PICTURE WINNERS/NOMINEES CASABLANCA, CHICAGO, FARGO, MUNICH

BLUE: PLACES IN COCKTAIL NAMES CUBA, LONG ISLAND, MOSCOW, SINGAPORE

PURPLE: STARTING WITH COUNTRIES DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, GUINEA-BISSAU, INDIANAPOLIS, NIGERIA

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Johnny is a freelance pop culture journalist who has been writing about the internet, music, football and famous people since the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. Previously known by the pseudonym the Pop Detective, his journalistic career began making up stories about Madonna's addiction to sausage rolls (this is not true by the way). A man of few talents, his career is rich and various and includes the highs of interviewing Elton John and Blur; and the lows of interviewing Right Said Fred, appearing on a Channel 5 documentary about Peter Kay, and fact-checking the instruction manual for a German cooker. Somehow still affording to live in North London he is at his happiest riding his bicycle and shouting at pigeons.