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The yellow category gives players a quick start by grouping familiar smartphone settings that most people use every day.
The middle categories blend tempting dessert descriptions with legendary 1980s synth-pop bands, rewarding both food lovers and music fans.
The purple category delivers the biggest challenge by hiding baseball umpire calls at the beginnings of longer phrases, creating a clever wordplay finish.
NYT Connections is live with its July 10 grid. Players can find sixteen random words that initially make no specific category. The most challenging part of the puzzle involves no starting hints. It selects some of the rarest words and tasks players with arranging them wisely into four groups.
While the Yellow one is still easy to guess, the other three will give most players a hard time. The twist? Sometimes a word is linked to more than one group. Today’s grid has brought clever pairings and a satisfying logic that long-time players will appreciate.
Connections is among The New York Times' most popular word games. Here, the primary objective is to carefully observe the entire grid. Players, then, have to determine whether the provided words share a similar theme.
The groups are marked with colors according to their difficulty level:
Yellow is typically the most direct.
Green calls for a little more logical thinking.
Blue is more oriented to cultural or linguistic knowledge.
Purple is more likely to contain complex wordplay or references to popular culture.
You get three wrong guesses to solve the puzzle. If you cross that limit, the game ends for you. So, every selection is crucial.
Let’s first check out the words that NYT Connections for July 10 has presented to players:
HOTSPOT, LOCATION SERVICES, MOLTEN, ERASURE, NEW ORDER, À LA MODE, DEPECHE MODE, AIRPLANE MODE, PET SHOP BOYS, BALL GOWN, OUTKAST, SAFE MODE, STRIKE A POSE, DO NOT DISTURB, DECADENT, FRESH-BAKED
Today’s Connections Hints
Yellow Group: These terms are associated with a smartphone. Every smartphone has these settings.
Green Group: Imagine the menu of sweets that you generally prefer after the main course.
Blue Group: Fan of rock bands? Find the most popular names from the Connections grid.
Purple Group: These are generally terms associated with baseball, more precisely, umpire calls.
Also Read: Today’s NYT Strands Hints and Answers for July 9, 2026
The clues mentioned above must have led you in the right direction. However, for players who are still struggling, here are the solutions:
Yellow Group (SMARTPHONE SETTINGS): AIRPLANE MODE, DO NOT DISTURB, HOTSPOT, LOCATION SERVICES
Green Group (DESSERT MENU DESCRIPTORS): DECADENT, FRESH-BAKED, MOLTEN, À LA MODE
Blue Group ('80S SYNTH-POP BANDS): DEPECHE MODE, ERASURE, NEW ORDER, PET SHOP BOYS
Purple Group (STARTING WITH BASEBALL CALLS): BALL GOWN, OUTKAST, SAFE MODE, STRIKE A POSE
Check Out the Image Below to Learn How to Make the Sets of Today's Puzzle:
If you have solved today’s puzzle but missed out on a few of the week’s, below are the answers to some of the previous day's NYT Connections:
Today’s Connections grid offers a good brain exercise. The July 10 puzzle illustrates how seemingly simple words can mask layered associations. Even the lower-difficulty group needs some critical-thinking skills to be uncovered. This puzzle tests players’ observation more than their vocabulary. NYT Connections' July 10 design keeps the experience fresh and mentally engaging, ensuring that both new and experienced players stay invested.
