Yellow and green categories felt familiar, helping solvers ease into the weekend puzzle with early confidence.
Blue required a sharp eye for color-based clues, less obvious than it seemed at first glance.
The purple group stumped many, hiding European capitals in plain sight with clever abbreviation-style trickery.
NYT Connections is an engaging daily word puzzle brought to you by The New York Times, perfect for a laid-back weekend adventure. You're presented with 16 seemingly random words and must categorize these words into sets of four: four groups, each linked by some hidden common thread.
The sheer brilliance of the Connections game lies entirely in its working. You must think laterally and toss up a few guesses along the way: Some words may prima facie belong to more than one category. However, only one solution is valid, and with precisely four wrong picks allowed, every choice matters!
It is a sure shot to polish your vocabulary, test your pattern-recognition skills, and revel in a neat 'Aha!' when you finally link those ponderous clues.
The Connections categories for the day proved quite intriguing, with the first two categories being relatively straightforward to decipher, while the remaining two led the player down an unexpected and challenging path.
The yellow category, in particular, would likely have been quickly identified by most players. For those seeking additional guidance, the NYT Connections categories for July 26, 2025, are available for reference.
Yellow: TRAVEL ON FOOT
Green: HERBS AND SPICES
Blue: SHADES OF GREEN
Purple: STARTS OF EUROPEAN CAPITALS
Do you finally get where each word should go? No? Then, keep scrolling to see the answers for today's NYT Connections.
Also Read: NYT Connections Hints and Answers for July 25, 2025
The answers for Connections today are:
HERBS AND SPICES: ANISE, DILL, MACE, SAGE
SHADES OF GREEN: BOTTLE, HUNTER, KELLY, PEA
TRAVEL ON FOOT: HIKE, MARCH, TRAMP, TREK
STARTS OF EUROPEAN CAPITALS: COPE, LUXE, SARA, WARS
Connections is a daily puzzle where you have to split 16 words into four groups of four with one common thread. The trick is that words do not always fit into single categories, so always be on the lookout for overlapping connections.
Start by going after the groups that he is the most certain about, generally the yellow one. Do not hesitate to use the shuffle button to see the words afresh. Listen for wordplay, homophones, or another subtle connection.
If you do see a group of five words that seem to fit, take a step back and reassess, since one of them is a red herring. The purple one is usually the toughest to determine, so leave it for last.
Double Meanings: Try to identify words that fit into two categories - the actual one and a witty decoy.
Homophones: Typically, the puzzle contains words that sound the same. The song-alike words would almost always be hidden in the trickiest category.
The ‘Five-Word’ Trap: If it seems like there are five words in one category, one of them doesn't belong. Working on the other category first will help you identify it.
Think Like A Creator: Usually, the hardest categories involve puns, abbreviations, or obscure references. Save these till the end.
Today’s puzzle brilliantly showcased Connections' appeal. The puzzle used clever misdirection, like MACE (the spice) and words that sounded like they could be other things, to hide the correct connections.
The purple category, requiring you to think of cities like Copenhagen, Luxembourg, Sarajevo, and Warsaw, was particularly tricky and a great final challenge. It's this combination of general knowledge and wordplay that makes the game so satisfying to solve.
Also Read: NYT Connections Hints and Answers for July 24, 2025