TodayHint

Connections July 30, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1228)

edited by Wyna Liu.

Recap

This puzzle featured a range of connections from moral terms to cruise lines and precise phrases, challenging solvers to think creatively about the links between the given words.

The sixteen tiles

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

JUGGLINGCARNIVALDOTFAIRBINGORIGHTPOOLNOSEMONEYGOODBEER PONGCELEBRITYVIKINGMARKPRINCESSJUST

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
    Moral terms
    Green
    Recreational fun
    Blue
    Sea travel
    Purple
    Exact phrases
  2. What linked each group, described

    Still no titles and no tiles named.

    Yellow group

    These words all describe something that is morally upright or equitable in nature and perception

    Green group

    These activities often involve leisurely games or social interactions with multiple balls

    Blue group

    These companies specialize in providing luxury vacations at sea with onboard amenities

    Purple group

    These phrases are used to indicate precision or accuracy when describing something

  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
    9 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 multiple categories at first glance, be cautious with words that have multiple meanings or applications, such as 'mark' or 'good'.

  5. The four category titles

    Half the answer.

    Yellow
    VIRTUOUS
    Green
    ACTIVITIES WITH MULTIPLE BALLS
    Blue
    CRUISE LINES
    Purple
    ON THE ___, TO MEAN "PRECISE"
  6. One tile from each group

    The anchor most people misplaced, matched to its title.

    Yellow — VIRTUOUS
    RIGHT
    Green — ACTIVITIES WITH MULTIPLE BALLS
    JUGGLING
    Blue — CRUISE LINES
    VIKING
    Purple — ON THE ___, TO MEAN "PRECISE"
    MONEY
    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

    VIRTUOUS

    FAIR, GOOD, JUST, RIGHT. The yellow group, VIRTUOUS, consists of FAIR, GOOD, JUST, and RIGHT.

  • Green group · 4 tiles

    ACTIVITIES WITH MULTIPLE BALLS

    BEER PONG, BINGO, JUGGLING, POOL. The green group, ACTIVITIES WITH MULTIPLE BALLS, consists of BEER PONG, BINGO, JUGGLING, and POOL.

  • Blue group · 4 tiles

    CRUISE LINES

    CARNIVAL, CELEBRITY, PRINCESS, VIKING. The blue group, CRUISE LINES, consists of CARNIVAL, CELEBRITY, PRINCESS, and VIKING.

  • Purple group · 4 tiles

    ON THE ___, TO MEAN "PRECISE"

    DOT, MARK, MONEY, NOSE. The purple group, ON THE ___, TO MEAN "PRECISE", consists of DOT, MARK, MONEY, and NOSE.

This board by the numbers

Puzzle
(#1228) · Thursday, July 30, 2026
Tiles
16 in a 4 × 4 grid
Groups
4, yellow to purple
Multi-word tiles
1
Longest tile
BEER PONG
Mistakes allowed
4 before the board locked

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