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.

NYT Connections answers for Friday, May 22, 2026

Keep playing

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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.