Today’s puzzle combined childhood milestones, obsolete gadgets, weather expressions, and clever word associations.
The yellow and green groups were relatively easy to identify, while the blue category required recognizing alternate phrases for rainy weather.
The purple category tested players’ ability to identify different meanings of the word ‘shell.’
The New York Times Connections puzzle returns with another challenging set of 16 words, asking players to sort them into four hidden groups based on a common connection. Today’s puzzle mixes childhood development, nostalgic technology, weather-related expressions, and a clever wordplay category centered on the word ‘shell.’ While some groups stand out quickly, others require looking beyond the most obvious meanings.
If you’re stuck, the spoiler-free hints below will help before revealing the complete answers.
Here is one representative word from each category:
Yellow Category: FIRST WORDS
Green Category: PLASMA TV
Blue Category: SCOTCH MIST
Purple Category: GAS STATION
Additional clues for today’s groups include:
Yellow Category: Important stages during a baby’s early development.
Green Category: Once cutting-edge electronics that have largely disappeared.
Blue Category: Different ways people refer to rainy conditions.
Purple Category: Think of different things the word ‘shell’ can describe.
Still need another hint? Here are today’s category titles:
Yellow Category: Baby Milestones
Green Category: Outmoded Consumer Tech
Blue Category: Expressions for Rain
Purple Category: What ‘Shell’ Might Refer To
The yellow group is more about developmental milestones that babies hit during their early infancy, kinda growing and changing. The green category holds consumer electronics that used to be really popular but are now, well, outdated, gone off the map. Then there’s the blue section, expressions for rainy weather, like alternate ways people describe it, outside the usual terms. Finally, the purple category gathers the various meanings that the word ‘shell’ could point toward, depending on the context.
The complete solutions for the July 26, 2026 puzzle are:
Yellow List: Baby Milestones
CRAWLING
FIRST WORDS
ROLLING OVER
SOLID FOOD
Green List: Outmoded Consumer Tech
BLACKBERRY
DISCMAN
DVD PLAYER
PLASMA TV
Blue List: Expressions for Rain
APRIL SHOWERS
LIQUID SUNSHINE
SCOTCH MIST
WET WEATHER
Purple List: What ‘Shell’ Might Refer To
CARAPACE
GAS STATION
PASTRY CRUST
ROWING BOAT
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle was an enjoyable mix of everyday knowledge, nostalgia, weather vocabulary, and a bit of creative wordplay. The baby milestones and those outdated gadgets felt relatively easy to find. Still, the rain-themed expressions and the multiple uses of ‘shell’ made the last two categories a lot more challenging.