Find the links between the words to win today’s game of Connections.
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Each day’s game of NYT Connections goes live at midnight local time. Before today’s NYT Connections hints, here’s what you missed on Monday:
Hey there, Connectors! I hope you’ve had a great start to your week.
Yes, yes, Scotland are out of the World Cup at the first hurdle. No real surprise there. I’m fine. I’ll live.
I did have a fun experience over the weekend as I went to see Angine de Poitrine play a free show at Montreal Jazz Fest. I didn’t actually “see” them. The space was so packed that I got nowhere close to the main area. I didn’t want to be jammed in either.
Instead, I settled for a spot way off to the side. I could see a big screen and the audio where I was standing was great, so I enjoyed 60 minutes or so of math rock/funk/punk/jazz rock without having to worry about the crowds too much.
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I was able to leave the site through a side exit too, so I didn’t become a sardine with thousands of people on my way out. Really fun show! I definitely recommend seeing them (or at least hearing them in person) if you get the chance.
Before we start, I want to highlight the rad community we have on Discord, where we chat about Connections, the rest of the NYT games and all kinds of other stuff. It’s a lovely group of folks. You’re more than welcome to join us.
Also, my weekend editions of this column are available over on my newsletter, Pastimes. If you enjoy the intros and recommendations in my Connections columns, I publish longer pieces along similar lines on Pastimes as well. I think you’d dig them.
Today’s NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, June 30 are coming right up. Let’s get rolling!
NYT Connections – How To Play
Connections is a free New York Times daily word game that you can play on the NYT’s website or Games app. If you have an NYT All Access or Games subscription, you can access the Connections archive, which includes every previous game.
Connections presents you with a grid of 16 words (sometimes phrases, symbols or numbers). The aim is to arrange them into four groups of four. You don’t know how they hit together or what the category for each group is: that’s what you have to figure out.
There’s only one correct solution and there are often red herrings. You can guess incorrectly three times. A fourth wrong guess, and it’s game over.
Each group is color coded. The yellow group is usually the easiest to deduce, followed by blue, green and purple. Often, the yellow and green groups have synonyms, the blues have cultural references and the purples have some kind of wordplay involved. But this is not a hard and fast rule. Be ready for curveballs – part of the fun of Connections is in how the NYT shakes things up to keep you on your toes.
As with Wordle and similar games, it’s easy to share results with your friends using an emoji-based grid. The game tracks your progress too.
Many players take pride in having long win streaks or getting a reverse rainbow – correctly guessing the purple, blue, green and yellow groups in that order with no mistakes. That adds an extra little challenge.
Today’s NYT Connections Word List
Scroll slowly! I’ll first give you a list of today’s words, then a hint for each category. After that, I’ll reveal one word that goes into each group. Then I’ll tell you the category names, followed by the full answers.
Today’s 16 words are…
- CURL
- BREEZE
- BOX
- FENCE
- SKETCH
- SKATE
- BOTTLE
- ON TAP
- CAN
- WALL
- RECRUIT
- HEDGE
- LUGE
- NEWSPAPER
- GATE
- SKI
Today’s NYT Connections Hints
And the hints for today’s Connections groups are:
- 🟨 Yellow group — cut-off point
- 🟩 Green group — victory is snow problem for some
- 🟦 Blue group — not necessarily a one-time deal
- 🟪 Purple group — like the first version of a story
NYT Connections – One Answer Per Group
Need some extra help?
Be warned: we’re starting to get into spoiler territory.
Let’s take a look at one answer for each group.
Here we go…
- 🟨 Yellow group — HEDGE
- 🟩 Green group — CURL
- 🟦 Blue group — CAN
- 🟪 Purple group — SKETCH
Today’s NYT Connections Categories
Today’s Connections groups are…
- 🟨 Yellow group — dividing structures
- 🟩 Green group — participate in some Winter Olympics
- 🟦 Blue group — common recyclables
- 🟪 Purple group — what “draft” might refer to
Today’s NYT Connections Answers
Spoiler alert! Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s Connections answers.
This is your last chance to look away.
This is your final warning!
Today’s Connections answers are…
Connections answers for June 30, 2026
Screenshot by Kris Holt
The yellows gelled together first for me today, closely followed by the greens (boxing and fencing are Olympic sports too, but in the summer games).
From there, NEWSPAPER and BOX made the blues clear. At that point, I figured out the purple connection, even though a BREEZE would be a “draught” in British English.
My streak is up to 485 wins in a row after a regular rainbow.
How did you get on this time? Here’s my grid:
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪
That’s all there is to it for today’s Connections clues and answers. Be sure to check my blog tomorrow for hints and the solution for tomorrow’s game if you need them.
P.S. This is probably the best recording of an Electric Callboy set so far this summer festival season. I should know since I’ve seen them all. The Rock am Ring one had an unbelievably huge crowd, but sound quality wasn’t the best. This one from Graspop in Belgium sounds much better. The crowd are mic’d well too. You can really hear them sing.
I know I talk about this band a lot and I’m aware they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. I think they’re just fantastic and they’ve made me immeasurably happier. Listening to them never fails to brightens my day, no matter how I’m feeling. And to be honest, I really needed this set right now. So, here it is (warning: expect some swears, tons of energy, partying and lots of positive vibes):
Have a great day! Stay hydrated! Be kind to yourself and each other! Call someone you love!
Please follow my blog for more NYT Connections hints and help with other word games, and even some video game news, insights and analysis. It helps me out a lot! Sharing this column with other people who play Connections would be appreciated too. You can also read my weekend editions of this column at my newsletter, Pastimes.
