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Connections November 9, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1366)

edited by Wyna Liu.

Recap

This Connections puzzle required linking terms into groups based on their meanings and characteristics, from deceitful schemes to fashion descriptors and objects with serrated edges, and finally to phrases ending with sea creature names.

The sixteen tiles

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

STEAK KNIFECARD SHARKCON JOBBOOTCUTNAVY SEALSHELL GAMEMINT LEAFGAMMA RAYTAPE DISPENSERLOW-RISEFUN SPONGERIP-OFFSKINNYFLIMFLAMGRAPEFRUIT SPOONDISTRESSED

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
    Scam tactics
    Green
    Fashion terms
    Blue
    Cutting tools
    Purple
    Puns abound
  2. What linked each group, described

    Still no titles and no tiles named.

    Yellow group

    Terms used to describe dishonest or deceitful plans to cheat people out of money.

    Green group

    Adjectives used to describe the style or fit of a particular type of clothing.

    Blue group

    Objects used for various purposes that have a serrated or sharp edge.

    Purple group

    Phrases or names that end with references to ocean creatures, often used in a figurative sense.

  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. 10 of the sixteen tiles were more than one word.

    Tiles
    16 across 4 groups
    Longest tile
    16 characters
    Shortest tile
    6 characters
    Multi-word tiles
    10
    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 of words with multiple meanings like 'sponge' or 'seal'.

  5. The four category titles

    Half the answer.

    Yellow
    DECEITFUL SCHEME
    Green
    JEANS DESCRIPTORS
    Blue
    THINGS WITH SERRATED EDGES
    Purple
    ENDING IN SEA CREATURES
  6. One tile from each group

    The anchor most people misplaced, matched to its title.

    Yellow — DECEITFUL SCHEME
    SHELL GAME
    Green — JEANS DESCRIPTORS
    LOW-RISE
    Blue — THINGS WITH SERRATED EDGES
    TAPE DISPENSER
    Purple — ENDING IN SEA CREATURES
    GAMMA RAY
    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

    DECEITFUL SCHEME

    CON JOB, FLIMFLAM, RIP-OFF, SHELL GAME. The yellow group, 'DECEITFUL SCHEME', includes 'CON JOB', 'FLIMFLAM', 'RIP-OFF', and 'SHELL GAME', all terms for scams.

  • Green group · 4 tiles

    JEANS DESCRIPTORS

    BOOTCUT, DISTRESSED, LOW-RISE, SKINNY. The green group, 'JEANS DESCRIPTORS', comprises 'BOOTCUT', 'DISTRESSED', 'LOW-RISE', and 'SKINNY', adjectives for jeans styles.

  • Blue group · 4 tiles

    THINGS WITH SERRATED EDGES

    GRAPEFRUIT SPOON, MINT LEAF, STEAK KNIFE, TAPE DISPENSER. The blue group, 'THINGS WITH SERRATED EDGES', consists of 'GRAPEFRUIT SPOON', 'MINT LEAF', 'STEAK KNIFE', and 'TAPE DISPENSER', items with serrated parts.

  • Purple group · 4 tiles

    ENDING IN SEA CREATURES

    CARD SHARK, FUN SPONGE, GAMMA RAY, NAVY SEAL. The purple group, 'ENDING IN SEA CREATURES', features 'CARD SHARK', 'FUN SPONGE', 'GAMMA RAY', and 'NAVY SEAL', phrases ending with sea creature names.

This board by the numbers

Puzzle
(#1366) · Monday, November 9, 2026
Tiles
16 in a 4 × 4 grid
Groups
4, yellow to purple
Multi-word tiles
10
Longest tile
GRAPEFRUIT SPOON
Mistakes allowed
4 before the board locked

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