NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, July 17 (game #1132)

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 16 (game #1131).

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 #1132) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

CRANE GAME

SATIRES

TICKETS

CARDINAL DIRECTIONS

SWAN SONG

SUITS

ROBIN HOOD

PLOT SPOILER

TREE TRUNK

TOKENS

SEASONS

EPILOGUE

LAST DANCE

CLASSICAL ELEMENTS

FAREWELL

PINBALL

NYT Connections today (game #1132) - hint #1 - group hints

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

YELLOW: Final hurrah

GREEN: As seen at gaming center

BLUE: Think of a number after three

PURPLE: Vehicle bits

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…

Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.

NYT Connections today (game #1132) - hint #2 - group answers

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

YELLOW: GRAND FINALE

GREEN: SEEN IN AN ARCADE

BLUE: FOUR GROUPS OF FOUR

PURPLE: ENDING IN PARTS OF A CAR

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

NYT Connections today (game #1132) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1132, are…

YELLOW: GRAND FINALE: EPILOGUE, FAREWELL, LAST DANCE, SWAN SONG

GREEN: SEEN IN AN ARCADE: CRANE GAME, PINBALL, TICKETS, TOKENS

BLUE: FOUR GROUPS OF FOUR: CARDINAL DIRECTIONS, CLASSICAL ELEMENTS, SEASONS, SUITS

PURPLE: ENDING IN PARTS OF A CAR: PLOT SPOILER, ROBIN HOOD, SATIRES, TREE TRUNK

My rating: Easy

My score: Perfect

Even though I didn't get a purple first I was delighted that I managed to get ENDING IN PARTS OF A CAR at all, as I know nothing about automobiles whatsoever.

This particular group needed translating fromAmerican English to UK English for me, because here a trunk is a boot and a spoiler is a bumper.

GRAND FINALE was simple, although EPILOGUE feels the odd one out of the quartet as it’s possible to have an ending to a career and then have an EPILOGUE years later — a movie star returning as a director, for example, or a boxer ill-advisedly coming out of retirement to punch a YouTuber.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, July 16, 2026, game #1131)

YELLOW: SKINCARE PRODUCTS: CLAY MASK, EYE CREAM, PEEL, TONER

PURPLE: STARTING WITH TINY MARKS: DOT MATRIX, PERIOD PIECE, POINT BREAK, SPOT REMOVER

BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH PRECISION: BULLSEYE, CLOCKWORK, LASER, NEEDLE

GREEN: SHADES OF BLACK: CHARCOAL, INK, JET, PITCH

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.