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Today's NYT Connections puzzle features four categories: expressions of surprise, words beginning with variations, phrases ending with ways to cook things, and phrases starting with Best Picture Oscar winners.
Several words may appear to share connections through popular movie references and familiar expressions.
Players need to look beyond their obvious meanings to identify the intended relationships.
The New York Times Connections puzzle for Thursday, November 12, 2026, is game #1250. Players must sort 16 words into four groups of four based on a shared connection. Each group has a different difficulty level, and the challenge is to identify the correct relationship between the words.
Today's board includes words such as GREAT SCOTT, ROCKY ROAD, YOU'RE TOAST, FLUX CAPACITOR, MOONLIGHT SONATA, JIMINY CRICKET, MARTY MCFLY, COMEDY ROAST, DOC BROWN, CHANGE PURSE, ARCTIC CHAR, GOOD HEAVENS, SHIFT DRESS, GLADIATOR SANDALS, HOLY SMOKES, and SWING SET.
Some words may seem connected through their associations with the Back to the Future movies, while others rely on wordplay and familiar expressions.
If you need some help before seeing the answers, here are the clues for all four groups.
Yellow Group: Expressions you might use when surprised.
Green Group: Words that begin with variations or forms of change.
Blue Group: Look at the endings of the phrases and think about cooking.
Purple Group: Look for phrases that begin with Best Picture Oscar winners.
These hints can help you identify the four categories without immediately revealing every answer. Try to find the connections yourself before moving to the next section.
If the category hints are not enough, one word from each group can help you get started.
Yellow Group: GREAT SCOTT
Green Group: CHANGE PURSE
Blue Group: DOC BROWN
Purple Group: ROCKY ROAD
Use these words to look for three other words that share the same connection. Remember that each group must contain exactly four words.
The four categories in today's NYT Connections puzzle are:
Yellow Group: 'GADZOOKS!'
Green Group: Starting with variations
Blue Group: Ending in ways to cook things
Purple Group: Starting with Best Picture Oscar winners
The yellow group focuses on familiar expressions of surprise and disbelief. The green group brings together phrases that begin with words associated with change or variation.
The blue group relies on identifying cooking methods hidden at the ends of familiar phrases. Meanwhile, the purple group is the trickiest, as it connects phrases to famous Academy Award-winning films.
Spoilers ahead! The complete answers are listed below. Stop reading here if you want to solve the puzzle yourself.
Here are all four groups and their answers for Connections #1250.
Yellow Group – 'GADZOOKS!'
GOOD HEAVENS
GREAT SCOTT
HOLY SMOKES
JIMINY CRICKET
These phrases are all expressions of surprise, shock, or disbelief. They are commonly used as mild exclamations instead of stronger swear words.
GOOD HEAVENS and GREAT SCOTT express astonishment, while HOLY SMOKES and JIMINY CRICKET are also familiar expressions used when someone is surprised.
CHANGE PURSE
FLUX CAPACITOR
SHIFT DRESS
SWING SET
This group connects words that begin with terms associated with change, movement, or variation.
CHANGE refers to something becoming different, FLUX describes continuous change or movement, SHIFT suggests a change in position or direction, and SWING can describe movement or variation.
The connection becomes clearer when players focus on the first word of each phrase rather than the complete expressions.
ARCTIC CHAR
COMEDY ROAST
DOC BROWN
YOU'RE TOAST
This category relies on the final words of the phrases, which are associated with cooking methods or preparation.
CHAR refers to cooking something over high heat, ROAST is a cooking method involving dry heat, BROWN describes cooking until food develops a browned surface, and TOAST refers to heating bread until it becomes crisp.
The trick is to ignore the first words and concentrate on the endings.
GLADIATOR SANDALS
MARTY MCFLY
MOONLIGHT SONATA
ROCKY ROAD
This is the trickiest group, as it relies on recognizing the names of Academy Award Best Picture-winning movies at the beginning of each phrase.
GLADIATOR SANDALS begins with GLADIATOR.
MARTY MCFLY begins with MARTY, referring to the 1955 film Marty.
MOONLIGHT SONATA begins with MOONLIGHT.
ROCKY ROAD begins with ROCKY.
The four movie titles are Gladiator, Marty, Moonlight, and Rocky. Each won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
The purple group can be difficult to identify, as the complete phrases have their own familiar meanings. The connection only becomes clear when players focus on the beginnings of the words.
Today's NYT Connections puzzle combines familiar expressions, word associations, cooking terminology, and movie references. While the yellow category may be easier to recognize, the other groups require players to think beyond the obvious meanings.
The green group can be confusing, as CHANGE PURSE, FLUX CAPACITOR, SHIFT DRESS, and SWING SET appear to describe completely unrelated things. Their first words, however, share a connection to variations and change.
The blue group also requires careful thinking. Players may initially focus on the complete phrases instead of their final words. Recognizing CHAR, ROAST, BROWN, and TOAST as cooking-related terms helps reveal the intended connection.
The purple group is especially challenging, as it involves movie knowledge. Players familiar with the Academy Awards may recognize GLADIATOR, MARTY, MOONLIGHT, and ROCKY, while the full phrases can easily distract from the connection.
There is also a potential red herring involving Back to the Future. MARTY MCFLY, DOC BROWN, and FLUX CAPACITOR may appear to form an obvious movie-related group, yet they actually belong to three different categories.
Connections is a daily word game from The New York Times. Players receive a grid of 16 words and must divide them into four groups of four words that share a common connection.
Each group has a different difficulty level, represented by a color:
Yellow: Usually the easiest category to identify.
Green: A little more challenging.
Blue: Often requires more specific knowledge or associations.
Purple: Usually the trickiest group, frequently involving wordplay or unusual connections.
Players select four words and submit their guess. A correct group is removed from the board, while an incorrect guess counts toward the mistake limit. Players can make up to four mistakes before the game ends.
A good strategy is to look for obvious connections first, while avoiding submitting a group too quickly. Some words may fit several possible themes, so checking all 16 words before making a selection can help prevent mistakes.
Today's puzzle rewards players who recognize familiar expressions and cooking terminology while also paying attention to the hidden movie references.
After completing Connections, players can try other New York Times puzzles, including:
Wordle: Guess the hidden five-letter word in six attempts.
Strands: Find themed words hidden within a letter grid.
The Mini Crossword: Solve a short crossword puzzle.
Connections: Sports Edition: Group sports-related words based on their shared connections.
Each game offers a different challenge, from guessing hidden words to finding themed terms or solving crossword clues. These puzzles are a good way to test vocabulary, improve pattern recognition, and enjoy a short daily brain workout.
A new Connections puzzle arrives the next day with 16 fresh words and four new categories to discover.
Also Read: NYT Connections Hints, Answers for November 11, 2026 (Puzzle #1249)