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NYT Connections hints & answers: Thursday, July 2, 2026 (#1190)

Updated: Thursday, July 2, 2026 · New puzzle daily at midnight US Eastern Time (5am UK). · Puzzle editor: Wyna Liu.

This page has every level of help for the NYT Connections puzzle #1190 of Thursday, July 2, 2026: 3 spoiler-free hint tiers that narrow things down step by step, followed by the complete answers with explanations — each behind its own tap-to-reveal card, so nothing is shown until you choose.

Stuck on today's Connections? Work through the hint tiers below — each one gives away a little more, so you can get exactly as much help as you want and still keep the win.

New to Connections? The four answer groups are colour-coded by difficulty: 🟡 yellow is the easiest, then 🟢 green, 🔵 blue, and 🟣 purple — the trickiest, usually built on wordplay. The hints below use those colours.

1One word from each group▸
  • Yellow (easiest): one of its words is “COPYCAT”.
  • Green (easy): one of its words is “LOOKING GLASS”.
  • Blue (tricky): one of its words is “BILLY GOAT”.
  • Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its words is “COURT JESTER”.
2Category hints (no answers)▸
  • Yellow (easiest): the theme is “They impersonate other things”.
  • Green (easy): the theme is “Old-timey names for things we still use”.
  • Blue (tricky): the theme is “Starting with nicknames”.
  • Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “Starting with sports venues”.
3One full group revealed▸
  • Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “They impersonate other things”, and its four words are: COPYCAT, MIME, MOCKINGBIRD, T-1000.
★Today's full Connections answers, explained▸
  • Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “They impersonate other things”. The words: COPYCAT, MIME, MOCKINGBIRD, T-1000.
  • Green (easy) — the connection is “Old-timey names for things we still use”. The words: LOOKING GLASS, SPECTACLES, TALKIE, WATER CLOSET.
  • Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Starting with nicknames”. The words: BILLY GOAT, DAN DAN NOODLES, RICH TEXT, TOM-TOM.
  • Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “Starting with sports venues”. The words: COURT JESTER, DIAMOND RING, FIELD MOUSE, TRACK RECORD.

Solved it (or spoiled it)? Play Connections on the official site — then come back tomorrow, or try another puzzle below.

Connections — common questions

What time does NYT Connections reset?

A new Connections puzzle is released daily at midnight US Eastern Time — that's 5am in the UK (4am during US daylight-saving transitions) and 12:00am for US East Coast players.

What do the Connections colours mean?

Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the trickiest — purple usually involves wordplay such as homophones, hidden words or 'words before/after X'.

How many mistakes are allowed in Connections?

You can make four mistakes before the puzzle ends. If you see 'one away…', exactly three of your four selected words belong together.

Previous Connections puzzles

Full Connections archive (91 puzzles) → · How to play Connections (and win more) →

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