The New York Times continues to expand the popularity of its daily puzzle lineup with Connections, a word game that challenges players to uncover hidden links between seemingly unrelated words. Puzzle #1097 for June 12, 2026 delivers another entertaining mix of magical references, animal group names, familiar words associated with repetition, and a tricky category connected to rivers. Some connections are easy to identify, while others require players to think beyond the most obvious meanings. If today's puzzle has you stuck, here are spoiler-free hints, the complete answers, and a quick guide to how Connections works.
What is NYT's 'Connections' game?
Connections is a daily word puzzle from The New York Times that asks players to organize 16 words into four groups of four. Each group shares a hidden connection, which may involve categories, meanings, phrases, themes, wordplay, or homophones.
The puzzle uses four color-coded difficulty levels:
- Yellow: Usually the easiest category
- Green: Moderate difficulty
- Blue: Often requires a less obvious connection
- Purple: Typically the most challenging and wordplay-heavy category
Players have a limited number of mistakes before the game ends, making strategy and observation essential.
NYT Connections hints for today
- Yellow: A wizard would not want to be caught without these.
- Green: Crows, lions, and fish all have something surprising in common.
- Blue: Nothing here is truly original. Everything points back to something else.
- Purple: Follow the water's journey from source to sea.
NYT Connections answers for June 12, 2026
Here are the correct groupings for today's puzzle:
- Yellow – MAGICAL THINGS: CHARM, CURSE, HEX, SPELL
- Green – COLLECTIVE ANIMAL NOUNS: MURDER, PACK, PRIDE, SCHOOL
- Blue – WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH REPETITION: COPY, ECHO, MIRROR, QUOTE
- Purple – RIVER FEATURES: BANK, DELTA, MOUTH, ROCK
How to play NYT Connections
The puzzle presents 16 words arranged in a grid, and your goal is to organize them into four groups of four words that share a hidden connection. A new Connections puzzle is released daily through The New York Times Games website and mobile app.
Players should start by looking for the most obvious relationships between words. Solving one category often makes the remaining connections easier to spot. Once you identify four words that belong together, select them and submit your answer. Correct groups are automatically locked into place.
Because only a limited number of incorrect guesses are allowed, it often helps to solve the easier Yellow and Green categories before tackling the more challenging Blue and Purple groups.
Other NYT games to explore
If you enjoy Connections, The New York Times also offers several other popular daily puzzle games:
- Wordle: Guess a five-letter word in six attempts
- Spelling Bee: Create as many words as possible using a specific set of letters
- The Mini Crossword: A short daily crossword challenge
- Strands: A word-search-inspired puzzle built around hidden themes
Together, these games have become a daily ritual for millions of puzzle enthusiasts looking to test their vocabulary, logic, and pattern-recognition skills.
About the Author
TOI Tech Desk
The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk's news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports, and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity.
