Connections November 12, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1352)
Recap
The puzzle required grouping phrases into categories based on their meanings and connections. Solvers had to carefully consider the relationships between the phrases to place them correctly.
The sixteen tiles
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. The recap above already named the groups, so this ladder is here for anyone replaying the board fresh rather than as a spoiler shield.
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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 linked each group, described
Still no titles and 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
Counted off the sixteen printed tiles.
Sixteen tiles, four groups of four, ordered yellow → green → blue → purple from most to least obvious. 16 of the sixteen tiles were more than one word.
- 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
Which tiles pulled in two directions.
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.
- 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 misplaced, matched to its title.
- 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
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
"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
- 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 locked
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