NYT Connections for Saturday, July 11, 2026, puzzle #1126, featured one recognizable character group and three categories built around more precise word relationships. The board became difficult when familiar words appeared to fit several possible themes at once.
The strongest decoys involved the western-sounding pair of WOODY and JESSIE, words such as CALM, FLAT and STILL, and several entries containing doubled letters. The challenge was finding the exact connection rather than settling for a broad similarity.
The hints below become progressively more revealing. Start with the first set and move to the stronger clues only when needed.
NYT Connections hints for July 11
- Yellow hint: Think about a live performance beneath a big top.
- Green hint: Picture a lake with almost no movement.
- Blue hint: These names belong to the same animated film franchise.
- Purple hint: Look closely at the repeated letters and where they appear.
Stronger clues
Yellow: The four answers are objects used by circus performers.
Green: Each word can describe water that has little or no visible movement.
Blue: The characters are toys that come alive when people are not watching.
Purple: Each word contains a doubled letter whose starting position matches that letter’s place in the alphabet.
Common wrong paths
WOODY and JESSIE may suggest a western category, but the other names on the board point toward a broader movie connection.
CALM, FLAT, GLASSY and STILL can describe moods, shapes, surfaces or positions. The intended link becomes exact only when they are applied to water.
STILTS, TRAPEZE and UNICYCLE naturally suggest balance and acrobatics. The fourth answer seems different until it is connected with a famous circus stunt.
The purple group is the most technical. Spotting doubled letters is only the first step. Solvers must also identify why each repeated pair appears in a particular place within the word.
Today’s NYT Connections answers
Reveal the Yellow Group
Category: Circus equipment
Answers: CANNON, STILTS, TRAPEZE, UNICYCLE
All four are associated with traditional circus acts. A cannon is used for the human-cannonball stunt, stilts raise performers above the ground, a trapeze supports aerial routines and a unicycle is used in balance and comedy acts.
Best solving anchor: CANNON is the key. Once it is linked to the human-cannonball act, the other three answers fit naturally as circus equipment.
Reveal the Green Group
Category: Undisturbed, as water
Answers: CALM, FLAT, GLASSY, STILL
Each word can describe water with little or no movement. Calm water is undisturbed, flat water has no visible waves, glassy water appears smooth and reflective, and still water remains motionless.
Best solving anchor: GLASSY is the most distinctive clue because it is commonly used for especially smooth water.
Reveal the Blue Group
Category: Toy Story characters
Answers: BO PEEP, JESSIE, SLINKY, WOODY
All four are characters from Pixar’s Toy Story films. Woody is the cowboy doll, Jessie is the cowgirl, Bo Peep is the shepherdess and Slinky is the spring-bodied toy dog.
Main trap: WOODY and JESSIE create a convincing western pair, but BO PEEP and SLINKY reveal the movie connection.
Reveal the Purple Group
Category: Double letters beginning in that letter’s alphabetical position
Answers: AARDVARK, EBBING, BOCCE, TWIDDLE
Each word contains a doubled letter that begins in the position matching that letter’s place in the alphabet.
AARDVARK: A is the first letter of the alphabet, and AA begins in position one.
EBBING: B is the second letter, and BB begins in position two.
BOCCE: C is the third letter, and CC begins in position three.
TWIDDLE: D is the fourth letter, and DD begins in position four.
Best solving anchor: Compare AARDVARK and EBBING first. Their doubled letters establish positions one and two, making the C and D examples easier to confirm.
What made puzzle #1126 difficult?
The board rewarded precise category wording. Several groups could be described loosely, but only the intended answers shared the same exact relationship.
The purple category added a second layer of logic beyond the visible doubled letters, while the blue group used names that could also suggest westerns, nursery rhymes or ordinary objects.
The safest strategy was to identify the character group first, then use the strongest anchors in the remaining categories: GLASSY for water, CANNON for the circus and AARDVARK for the doubled-letter pattern.
Players can attempt the official puzzle and review completed-game results on the New York Times Connections page.
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