NYT Connections Hints & Answers — Friday, May 22, 2026 (#1076)
Puzzle #1076. Start with a gentle nudge and work down — the full answers are at the bottom, hidden until you ask for them.
Just tell me the answer
The NYT Connections answer for Friday, May 22, 2026 (puzzle #1076) is: YELLOW — REACH BACK OUT: CHECK IN, FOLLOW UP, RECONNECT, TOUCH BASE. GREEN — THE WAY THINGS ARE DONE: CONVENTION, CUSTOM, SOCIAL NORM, UNWRITTEN RULE. BLUE — PLACES WITH CONVEYOR BELTS: ASSEMBLY LINE, BAGGAGE CLAIM, CHECKOUT LANE, REVOLVING SUSHI BAR. PURPLE — STARTING WITH NAME HOMOPHONES: CARRY-ON, EL NIÑO, LOOSEY-GOOSEY, TAILOR-MADE.
Today's 16 words
The grid exactly as NYT laid it out for Friday, May 22, 2026. Nothing below this point is spoiled until you open it.
LOOSEY-GOOSEY
CONVENTION
CHECK IN
BAGGAGE CLAIM
CARRY-ON
CUSTOM
CHECKOUT LANE
FOLLOW UP
ASSEMBLY LINE
EL NIÑO
SOCIAL NORM
TOUCH BASE
REVOLVING SUSHI BAR
UNWRITTEN RULE
RECONNECT
TAILOR-MADE
How hard is Connections #1076?
Medium47/100
• One category runs on wordplay rather than meaning.
• At least one entry is a phrase rather than a single word.
Where to start: Every category here is meaning-based, so group by topic first and use the four-per-group constraint to settle any word that could go two ways.
Connections hints for Friday, May 22, 2026
Four levels, each giving away a little more. Open only as many as you need.
yellow(the most straightforward group — start here) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about out.
green(a little trickier, but still direct) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about done.
blue(where the misdirection usually starts) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about belts.
purple(the wordplay group, and almost always the last to fall) Say these four out loud — they sound like something else entirely.
yellow4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
green4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
blue4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
purpleThe link is how they sound, not how they're spelled.
yellowOne member is
greenOne member is
blueOne member is
purpleOne member is
yellow
green
blue
purple
NYT Connections answers for Friday, May 22, 2026
yellow — Easiest
REACH BACK OUT
CHECK IN · FOLLOW UP · RECONNECT · TOUCH BASE
green — Easy
THE WAY THINGS ARE DONE
CONVENTION · CUSTOM · SOCIAL NORM · UNWRITTEN RULE
blue — Tricky
PLACES WITH CONVEYOR BELTS
ASSEMBLY LINE · BAGGAGE CLAIM · CHECKOUT LANE · REVOLVING SUSHI BAR
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Common questions
What is the NYT Connections answer for Friday, May 22, 2026?
The NYT Connections answer for Friday, May 22, 2026 (puzzle #1076) is: YELLOW — REACH BACK OUT: CHECK IN, FOLLOW UP, RECONNECT, TOUCH BASE. GREEN — THE WAY THINGS ARE DONE: CONVENTION, CUSTOM, SOCIAL NORM, UNWRITTEN RULE. BLUE — PLACES WITH CONVEYOR BELTS: ASSEMBLY LINE, BAGGAGE CLAIM, CHECKOUT LANE, REVOLVING SUSHI BAR. PURPLE — STARTING WITH NAME HOMOPHONES: CARRY-ON, EL NIÑO, LOOSEY-GOOSEY, TAILOR-MADE.
What is the purple group in Connections #1076?
The purple (hardest) group is "STARTING WITH NAME HOMOPHONES": CARRY-ON, EL NIÑO, LOOSEY-GOOSEY, TAILOR-MADE.
What is the easiest group in today's Connections puzzle?
The yellow group is the most straightforward: "REACH BACK OUT" — CHECK IN, FOLLOW UP, RECONNECT, TOUCH BASE. Solving it first removes four words from the grid.
What number is today's Connections puzzle?
Friday, May 22, 2026 is NYT Connections puzzle #1076. Connections launched on 12 June 2023 with puzzle #1, and a new puzzle is published every day.
What time does a new NYT Connections puzzle come out?
A new Connections puzzle unlocks at midnight in your own local time zone, so the changeover happens at a different moment around the world. The puzzle itself is the same for everyone on a given date.