NYT Connections Hints & Answers — Thursday, July 16, 2026 (#1131)
Puzzle #1131. 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 Thursday, July 16, 2026 (puzzle #1131) is: YELLOW — SKINCARE PRODUCTS: CLAY MASK, EYE CREAM, PEEL, TONER. GREEN — SHADES OF BLACK: CHARCOAL, INK, JET, PITCH. BLUE — ASSOCIATED WITH PRECISION: BULLSEYE, CLOCKWORK, LASER, NEEDLE. PURPLE — STARTING WITH TINY MARKS: DOT MATRIX, PERIOD PIECE, POINT BREAK, SPOT REMOVER.
Today's 16 words
The grid exactly as NYT laid it out for Thursday, July 16, 2026. Nothing below this point is spoiled until you open it.
NEEDLE
INK
JET
DOT MATRIX
TONER
POINT BREAK
LASER
CHARCOAL
PEEL
PITCH
PERIOD PIECE
BULLSEYE
SPOT REMOVER
EYE CREAM
CLOCKWORK
CLAY MASK
How hard is Connections #1131?
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 Thursday, July 16, 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 products.
green(a little trickier, but still direct) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about black.
blue(where the misdirection usually starts) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about precision.
purple(the wordplay group, and almost always the last to fall) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about marks.
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 Thursday, July 16, 2026
yellow — Easiest
SKINCARE PRODUCTS
CLAY MASK · EYE CREAM · PEEL · TONER
green — Easy
SHADES OF BLACK
CHARCOAL · INK · JET · PITCH
blue — Tricky
ASSOCIATED WITH PRECISION
BULLSEYE · CLOCKWORK · LASER · NEEDLE
purple — Trickiest
STARTING WITH TINY MARKS
DOT MATRIX · PERIOD PIECE · POINT BREAK · SPOT REMOVER
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Common questions
What is the NYT Connections answer for Thursday, July 16, 2026?
The NYT Connections answer for Thursday, July 16, 2026 (puzzle #1131) is: YELLOW — SKINCARE PRODUCTS: CLAY MASK, EYE CREAM, PEEL, TONER. GREEN — SHADES OF BLACK: CHARCOAL, INK, JET, PITCH. BLUE — ASSOCIATED WITH PRECISION: BULLSEYE, CLOCKWORK, LASER, NEEDLE. PURPLE — STARTING WITH TINY MARKS: DOT MATRIX, PERIOD PIECE, POINT BREAK, SPOT REMOVER.
What is the purple group in Connections #1131?
The purple (hardest) group is "STARTING WITH TINY MARKS": DOT MATRIX, PERIOD PIECE, POINT BREAK, SPOT REMOVER.
What is the easiest group in today's Connections puzzle?
The yellow group is the most straightforward: "SKINCARE PRODUCTS" — CLAY MASK, EYE CREAM, PEEL, TONER. Solving it first removes four words from the grid.
What number is today's Connections puzzle?
Thursday, July 16, 2026 is NYT Connections puzzle #1131. 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.