NYT Connections Hints & Answers — Wednesday, July 1, 2026 (#1116)
Puzzle #1116. 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 Wednesday, July 1, 2026 (puzzle #1116) is: YELLOW — THINGS NAMED AFTER PLACES: CHAMPAGNE, CHINA, COLOGNE, LIMERICK. GREEN — BEST PICTURE WINNERS/NOMINEES: CASABLANCA, CHICAGO, FARGO, MUNICH. BLUE — PLACES IN COCKTAIL NAMES: CUBA, LONG ISLAND, MOSCOW, SINGAPORE. PURPLE — STARTING WITH COUNTRIES: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, GUINEA-BISSAU, INDIANAPOLIS, NIGERIA.
Today's 16 words
The grid exactly as NYT laid it out for Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Nothing below this point is spoiled until you open it.
CHICAGO
LONG ISLAND
NIGERIA
COLOGNE
INDIANAPOLIS
MUNICH
LIMERICK
SINGAPORE
CASABLANCA
CUBA
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
CHAMPAGNE
GUINEA-BISSAU
CHINA
FARGO
MOSCOW
How hard is Connections #1116?
Easy35/100
• 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 Wednesday, July 1, 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 places.
green(a little trickier, but still direct) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about nominees.
blue(where the misdirection usually starts) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about names.
purple(the wordplay group, and almost always the last to fall) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about countries.
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.
purple4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
yellowOne member is
greenOne member is
blueOne member is
purpleOne member is
yellow
green
blue
purple
NYT Connections answers for Wednesday, July 1, 2026
yellow — Easiest
THINGS NAMED AFTER PLACES
CHAMPAGNE · CHINA · COLOGNE · LIMERICK
green — Easy
BEST PICTURE WINNERS/NOMINEES
CASABLANCA · CHICAGO · FARGO · MUNICH
blue — Tricky
PLACES IN COCKTAIL NAMES
CUBA · LONG ISLAND · MOSCOW · SINGAPORE
purple — Trickiest
STARTING WITH COUNTRIES
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC · GUINEA-BISSAU · INDIANAPOLIS · NIGERIA
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Common questions
What is the NYT Connections answer for Wednesday, July 1, 2026?
The NYT Connections answer for Wednesday, July 1, 2026 (puzzle #1116) is: YELLOW — THINGS NAMED AFTER PLACES: CHAMPAGNE, CHINA, COLOGNE, LIMERICK. GREEN — BEST PICTURE WINNERS/NOMINEES: CASABLANCA, CHICAGO, FARGO, MUNICH. BLUE — PLACES IN COCKTAIL NAMES: CUBA, LONG ISLAND, MOSCOW, SINGAPORE. PURPLE — STARTING WITH COUNTRIES: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, GUINEA-BISSAU, INDIANAPOLIS, NIGERIA.
What is the purple group in Connections #1116?
The purple (hardest) group is "STARTING WITH COUNTRIES": DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, GUINEA-BISSAU, INDIANAPOLIS, NIGERIA.
What is the easiest group in today's Connections puzzle?
The yellow group is the most straightforward: "THINGS NAMED AFTER PLACES" — CHAMPAGNE, CHINA, COLOGNE, LIMERICK. Solving it first removes four words from the grid.
What number is today's Connections puzzle?
Wednesday, July 1, 2026 is NYT Connections puzzle #1116. 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.