TodayHint

Connections July 15, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1217)

edited by Wyna Liu.

Recap

The puzzle required grouping tiles into categories based on their meanings and uses. Solvers had to think creatively to connect the tiles, especially for the more abstract categories.

The sixteen tiles

The sixteen tiles as dealt. Reveal a group below to tint and caption its tiles here.

RACKETFOOTBALLWIGGLEBARHEADBENCHELBOWSHOEEXTREMEBREATHINGMOTORCOURTCORSETWATERTRIBUNALBASEBALL GLOVE

Connections hints, one rung at a time

Six rungs, softest first. The recap above already named the groups, so this ladder is here for anyone replaying the board fresh rather than as a spoiler shield.

  1. Four one-line nudges, one per group

    The softest hint there is.

    Yellow
    Justice system
    Green
    Tied up
    Blue
    Adjectives
    Purple
    Extra space
  2. What linked each group, described

    Still no titles and no tiles named.

    Yellow group

    These words describe places or areas where legal proceedings take place.

    Green group

    These items all have strings or cords used for fastening or securing.

    Blue group

    These words can all be used to describe different types of athletic activities.

    Purple group

    These words can be used before 'room' to indicate additional space or flexibility.

  3. Board facts

    Counted off the sixteen printed tiles.

    Sixteen tiles, four groups of four, ordered yellow → green → blue → purple from most to least obvious. 1 of the sixteen tile was more than one word.

    Tiles
    16 across 4 groups
    Longest tile
    14 characters
    Shortest tile
    3 characters
    Multi-word tiles
    1
    Back to the sixteen tiles
  4. The trap on this board

    Which tiles pulled in two directions.

    Some cards could fit into more than one category, especially those related to sports or physical activities. Be cautious with words that have multiple meanings or applications, like 'court' or 'racket'.

  5. The four category titles

    Half the answer.

    Yellow
    TERMS FOR THE LEGAL SYSTEM
    Green
    THINGS WITH LACES
    Blue
    KINDS OF SPORTS
    Purple
    WORDS BEFORE "ROOM" TO INDICATE EXTRA SPACE
  6. One tile from each group

    The anchor most people misplaced, matched to its title.

    Yellow — TERMS FOR THE LEGAL SYSTEM
    TRIBUNAL
    Green — THINGS WITH LACES
    CORSET
    Blue — KINDS OF SPORTS
    RACKET
    Purple — WORDS BEFORE "ROOM" TO INDICATE EXTRA SPACE
    WIGGLE
    Open the full groupings

Every Connections group from that board

All four groups, folded. Opening one tints its four tiles above and captions them with the category name.

  • Yellow group · 4 tiles

    TERMS FOR THE LEGAL SYSTEM

    BAR, BENCH, COURT, TRIBUNAL. The yellow group, 'TERMS FOR THE LEGAL SYSTEM', includes 'BAR', 'BENCH', 'COURT', and 'TRIBUNAL'.

  • Green group · 4 tiles

    THINGS WITH LACES

    BASEBALL GLOVE, CORSET, FOOTBALL, SHOE. The green group, 'THINGS WITH LACES', consists of 'BASEBALL GLOVE', 'CORSET', 'FOOTBALL', and 'SHOE'.

  • Blue group · 4 tiles

    KINDS OF SPORTS

    EXTREME, MOTOR, RACKET, WATER. The blue group, 'KINDS OF SPORTS', comprises 'EXTREME', 'MOTOR', 'RACKET', and 'WATER'.

  • Purple group · 4 tiles

    WORDS BEFORE "ROOM" TO INDICATE EXTRA SPACE

    BREATHING, ELBOW, HEAD, WIGGLE. The purple group, 'WORDS BEFORE "ROOM" TO INDICATE EXTRA SPACE', features 'BREATHING', 'ELBOW', 'HEAD', and 'WIGGLE'.

This board by the numbers

Puzzle
(#1217) · Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Tiles
16 in a 4 × 4 grid
Groups
4, yellow to purple
Multi-word tiles
1
Longest tile
BASEBALL GLOVE
Mistakes allowed
4 before the board locked

More Connections

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