NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, July 10 (game #1125)

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 Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, July 9 (game #1124).

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 #1125) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

OUTKAST

DEPECHE MODE

FRESH-BAKED

BALL GOWN

DO NOT DISTURB

À LA MODE

STRIKE A POSE

AIRPLANE MODE

ERASURE

SAFE MODE

DECADENT

NEW ORDER

HOTSPOT

PET SHOP BOYS

MOLTEN

LOCATION SERVICES

NYT Connections today (game #1125) - hint #1 - group hints

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

YELLOW: iPhone options

GREEN: Pudding levels

BLUE: UK chart acts of yesteryear

PURPLE: Umpire 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 #1125) - hint #2 - group answers

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

YELLOW: SMARTPHONE SETTINGS

GREEN: DESSERT MENU DESCRIPTORS

BLUE: '8OS SYNTH-POP BANDS

PURPLE: STARTING WITH BASEBALL CALLS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1125) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1125, are…

YELLOW: SMARTPHONE SETTINGS: AIRPLANE MODE, DO NOT DISTURB, HOTSPOT, LOCATION SERVICES

GREEN: DESSERT MENU DESCRIPTORS: DECADENT, FRESH-BAKED, MOLTEN, À LA MODE

BLUE: '8OS SYNTH-POP BANDS: DEPECHE MODE, ERASURE, NEW ORDER, PET SHOP BOYS

PURPLE: STARTING WITH BASEBALL CALLS: BALL GOWN, OUTKAST, SAFE MODE, STRIKE A POSE

My rating: Hard

My score: 1 mistake

There were a number of fashion links among today's tiles: A LA MODE, of course, STRIKE A POSE — which features in Madonna’s Vogue — BALL GOWN, and DEPECHE MODE, which was the name of a French fashion magazine.

What caught me out, however, was the SMARTPHONE SETTINGS, as I originally included SAFE MODE instead of DO NOT DISTURB.

Today’s game also featured my two favorite bands — PET SHOP BOYS and NEW ORDER, both of whom joined forces in the 1990s with Electronic and who still tour together occasionally.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, July 9, 2026, game #1124)

YELLOW: NON-ALCOHOLIC DESIGNATORS: NA, SPIRIT-FREE, VIRGIN, ZERO-PROOF

GREEN: MUSIC PUBLICATIONS: BILLBOARD, PITCHFORK, ROLLING STONE, SPIN

BLUE: KINDS OF RUGS: PERSIAN, PRAYER, SHAG, THROW

PURPLE: PONTIAC MODELS: FIREBIRD, G6, GRAND PRIX, TRANS AM

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.