NYT Connections for June 23, 2026, puzzle #1108, was tricky because familiar words kept pointing in different directions before their real categories became clear. The board moved between dance styles, Monopoly pieces, online sorting labels and a purple group built around mantle and mantel wordplay.
The main traps came from Money, Deed, Popular, Trending, Earth and Yankees. Each looked useful on the surface, but the cleanest solve depended on finding strong anchor words first.
NYT Connections June 23 Hints
Yellow hint: Think about dance.
Sharper clue: These are styles you might hear in a dance class or see in a dance competition.
Trap to avoid: Do not read Modern and Swing only as ordinary descriptions. Here, they work as dance names.
Green hint: Think inside a classic board-game box.
Sharper clue: These are items connected to Monopoly.
Trap to avoid: Deed, Hotel and Money may look like property or finance terms, but Token confirms the game category.
Blue hint: Think about sorting online content.
Sharper clue: These are common labels used to filter or organize articles, posts, videos or search results.
Trap to avoid: Do not read Popular and Trending only as descriptions. They can also be navigation or filter options.
Purple hint: Think of mantle and mantel.
Sharper clue: This group uses different meanings, spellings and references tied to mantle or mantel.
Trap to avoid: Do not expect all four answers to be the same kind of object. The set mixes science, architecture, ceremony and a famous name.
Common wrong paths: Many players likely spotted Featured, Popular and Trending quickly, but the group only locks when Recent is read as another online sorting option. Deed, Hotel and Money also form a tempting property-related path, but Token points more clearly to Monopoly.
The hardest misdirection came from purple. Earth, Emperor, Fireplace and Yankees do not look related until mantle and mantel are considered from several angles.
Today’s NYT Connections Answers
Yellow Group
Tap to reveal Yellow answers
Category: Dance styles
Answers: Foxtrot, Modern, Swing, Tap
Explanation: Each answer names a dance style. Foxtrot and Tap are the cleanest anchors, while Modern and Swing confirm the group once the dance reading is clear.
Main trap: Modern and Swing can look like general words, so this group is easier to solve by starting with Foxtrot or Tap.
Green Group
Tap to reveal Green answers
Category: In a Monopoly box
Answers: Deed, Hotel, Money, Token
Explanation: These are all items tied to Monopoly. The game includes property deeds, hotels, play money and player tokens.
Main trap: Deed, Hotel and Money can look like a real-estate or finance group. Token is the best anchor because it pushes the category toward the board game.
Blue Group
Tap to reveal Blue answers
Category: Content sorting options online
Answers: Featured, Popular, Recent, Trending
Explanation: These words often appear as tabs, filters or sorting labels on websites, apps, news pages, video platforms and feeds.
Main trap: Popular and Trending look like broad buzzwords, while Featured may feel editorial. The group works best when all four are read as interface labels.
Purple Group
Tap to reveal Purple answers
Category: Things with mantles/mantels
Answers: Earth, Emperor, Fireplace, Yankees
Explanation: This category uses several meanings and references connected to mantle or mantel. Earth has a geological mantle, a Fireplace has a mantel shelf, an Emperor may wear a ceremonial mantle, and Yankees points to baseball legend Mickey Mantle.
Main trap: This was the most unusual group because it mixed science, architecture, ceremonial clothing and a proper-noun sports reference. It becomes easier after the cleaner Yellow, Green and Blue groups are cleared.
Today’s puzzle rewarded solving through anchor words. Tap and Foxtrot made the dance group clearer, Token confirmed Monopoly, and the online sorting group became easier once Recent was read as a filter. After those were cleared, purple’s mantle/mantel trick had less noise around it.
For official gameplay, players can visit the New York Times Connections page.
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