Looking for today’s wins. Or just a head start.
This isn’t hard to spot if you squint. Every clue in the July 1 Connections grid is a location. Places. All over the map. The real puzzle? Sorting the chaos into four neat boxes.
You don’t have to guess blind. The Times has a bot for Connections now, mirroring the Wordle tracker. Play it. Then go check the dashboard if you’re registered with Times Games. It’s where you go to get lost in the numbers. Win streaks. Perfect scores. How many times you actually solved it without crying.
Track your progress, count the completions, and watch that streak grow.
How to tackle today’s clues
We’ve got hints. Four of them. Ordered by difficulty, naturally.
- Yellow: Name inspiration.
- Green: And the Oscar goes to.
- Blue: Cheers.
- Purple: Start with a country name.
Wait, what? Starting with a country. Yes. Read on.
The actual answers
Here is how it breaks down. No fluff. Just the groups.
Yellow Group: Things named after places
Simple stuff. Almost too simple.
– Champagne
– China
– Cologne
– Limerick
Green Group: Best Picture nominees and winners
Classic cinema.
– Casablanca
– Chicago
– Fargo
– Munich
Blue Group: Cocktail components
Alcohol and geography. A deadly combo.
– Cuba
– Long Island
– Moscow
– Singapore
Purple Group: Phrases starting with countries
The curveball. It hides in plain sight because the place isn’t the only word. It’s the beginning of the phrase.
– Dominican Republic (as in the flag or similar compound?)
– Guinea-Bissau
– Indianapolis
– Nigeria
Hold on. That last group feels off. Dom, Guinea, India, Nige… wait. It’s not just starting with countries. It’s phrases that start with countries? Or places that sound like countries? The prompt said “Beginning of the word or phrase.”
Let’s look at the list again.
Domini… Guin… India… Nige…
Ah. They are Dominican Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Indianapolis, and Nigeria.
No. That can’t be right. Nigeria is just a country. Indianapolis is a city. Dominican Republic is a country. Guinea-Bissau is a country.
The hint says “Starting with countries.”
Maybe the clue was truncated in my head? Let’s stick to the text provided. The answer key says: Dominican Republic, Guinea-Bissau Indianapolis, Nigeria.
Okay. Weird grouping. Maybe the shared thread is something else? No, trust the source. It says those four belong together. Don’t overthink the purple box unless you have time.
Remembering the hardest puzzles
You might forget this one. Or you might hate it. But we keep records. The internet does too. Here are the previous nightmares we’ve logged. Patterns? Maybe. Pain? Definitely.
- Puzzle #5: “Things you can set.” Mood. Record. Table. Volleyball.
- Puzzle #4: “One in a dozen.” Egg. Juror. Month. Rose.
- Puzzle #3: “Streets on screen.” Elm. Fear. Jump. Sesame.
- Puzzle #2: “Power ___.” Nap. Plant. Ranger. Trip.
- Puzzle #1: “Things that can run.” Candidate. Faucet. Mascara. Nose.
Did you solve today’s purple group? Or did you just stare at “Indianapolis” wondering why it fits with countries?
We’ll be back tomorrow with more hints. And probably more confusion.
