Connections Today: Hints and Answers for #1352 — November 12
Sixteen tiles, four hidden groups of four, ordered yellow to purple. The hints start with a two-word nudge per group and only name a category five rungs later.
Today's board
The sixteen tiles as dealt. Reveal a group below to tint and caption its tiles here.
Connections hints, one rung at a time
Six rungs, softest first. This page remembers which ones you opened while this board is current.
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Hint 1: Four one-line nudges, one per group
The softest hint there is.
- Yellow
- Surprised expressions
- Green
- Modify something
- Blue
- Culinary terms
- Purple
- Movie history
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Hint 2: What links each group, described
No titles, no tiles named.
Yellow group
These phrases are used to express shock or surprise in a playful or old-fashioned way.
Green group
These phrases describe changing or altering something, often in a creative or playful manner.
Blue group
These phrases relate to ways of cooking food, often used in informal or humorous contexts.
Purple group
These phrases are connected to notable films that have won prestigious awards in the film industry.
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Hint 3: Board facts
16 of the sixteen tiles are more than one word — often where a category hides.
- Tiles
- 16 across 4 groups
- Longest tile
- 17 characters
- Shortest tile
- 9 characters
- Multi-word tiles
- 16
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Hint 4: The trap on this board
No group is named.
Some phrases could fit into more than one category, be careful with 'MARTY MCFLY' and 'DOC BROWN', they might seem out of place.
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Hint 5: The four category titles
Half the answer; the groupings are still yours.
- Yellow
- "GADZOOKS!"
- Green
- STARTING WITH VARIATIONS
- Blue
- ENDING IN WAYS TO COOK THINGS
- Purple
- STARTING WITH BEST PICTURE OSCAR WINNERS
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Hint 6: One tile from each group
The anchor most people misplace.
- Yellow — "GADZOOKS!"
- JIMINY CRICKET
- Green — STARTING WITH VARIATIONS
- FLUX CAPACITOR
- Blue — ENDING IN WAYS TO COOK THINGS
- COMEDY ROAST
- Purple — STARTING WITH BEST PICTURE OSCAR WINNERS
- MOONLIGHT SONATA
Today's Connections answers, group by group
Spoilers below. Opening a group tints and captions its four tiles on the board above.
Yellow group · 4 tiles
"GADZOOKS!"
GOOD HEAVENS, GREAT SCOTT, HOLY SMOKES, JIMINY CRICKET. "GADZOOKS!" = "GOOD HEAVENS", "GREAT SCOTT", "HOLY SMOKES", "JIMINY CRICKET"
Green group · 4 tiles
STARTING WITH VARIATIONS
CHANGE PURSE, FLUX CAPACITOR, SHIFT DRESS, SWING SET. "STARTING WITH VARIATIONS" = "CHANGE PURSE", "FLUX CAPACITOR", "SHIFT DRESS", "SWING SET"
Blue group · 4 tiles
ENDING IN WAYS TO COOK THINGS
ARCTIC CHAR, COMEDY ROAST, DOC BROWN, YOU'RE TOAST. "ENDING IN WAYS TO COOK THINGS" = "ARCTIC CHAR", "COMEDY ROAST", "DOC BROWN", "YOU'RE TOAST"
Purple group · 4 tiles
STARTING WITH BEST PICTURE OSCAR WINNERS
GLADIATOR SANDALS, MARTY MCFLY, MOONLIGHT SONATA, ROCKY ROAD. "STARTING WITH BEST PICTURE OSCAR WINNERS" = "GLADIATOR SANDALS", "MARTY MCFLY", "MOONLIGHT SONATA", "ROCKY ROAD"
This board by the numbers
edited by Wyna Liu.
- Puzzle
- #1352 · Thursday, November 12, 2026
- Tiles
- 16 in a 4 × 4 grid
- Groups
- 4, yellow to purple
- Multi-word tiles
- 16
- Longest tile
- GLADIATOR SANDALS
- Mistakes allowed
- 4 before the board locks
The last board we archived
The newest archived page is Connections answers for #1354, Wednesday, November 11, 2026, created once its date stopped being current everywhere on Earth.
More puzzles today
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Today's NYT Pips hints and answers
Easy, medium and hard boards, rules first and walkthroughs last.
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Today's NYT Wordle hints and answer
Letter shape, vowels and meaning, with the answer kept last.
How Connections works, in short
Submit four tiles you think belong together. Correct ones lock in; a wrong guess costs one of four lives, and "one away" means three were right. Solve by elimination: clear the group you are surest of, then re-read what is left. Our full Connections guide covers the traps.
NYT Connections questions we get asked
When does a new NYT Connections puzzle appear?
At midnight in your own time zone, not New York time. This page resolves your local date first.
What are the Connections categories for November 12?
In difficulty order: "GADZOOKS!"; STARTING WITH VARIATIONS; ENDING IN WAYS TO COOK THINGS; STARTING WITH BEST PICTURE OSCAR WINNERS. Yellow is the giveaway, purple the wordplay one.
Which tiles are the traps in Connections #1352?
Some phrases could fit into more than one category, be careful with 'MARTY MCFLY' and 'DOC BROWN', they might seem out of place.
How do I get a Connections hint without spoiling the grid?
Work down the ladder: a nudge per group, the link described, the board counted, the trap. Titles arrive at rung five, members at rung six.
What are all the Connections answers for November 12?
Yellow — "GADZOOKS!": GOOD HEAVENS, GREAT SCOTT, HOLY SMOKES, JIMINY CRICKET. Green — STARTING WITH VARIATIONS: CHANGE PURSE, FLUX CAPACITOR, SHIFT DRESS, SWING SET. Blue — ENDING IN WAYS TO COOK THINGS: ARCTIC CHAR, COMEDY ROAST, DOC BROWN, YOU'RE TOAST. Purple — STARTING WITH BEST PICTURE OSCAR WINNERS: GLADIATOR SANDALS, MARTY MCFLY, MOONLIGHT SONATA, ROCKY ROAD.
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No — TodayHint is independent. Strands, Connections, Pips and NYT are trademarks of The New York Times Company.