NYT Connections Hints for July 27, 2026 — Puzzle #1142

Sixteen words, four hidden categories. Hints reveal structure, then the grouping.

Hints and answers for NYT Connections #1142 on July 27, 2026: how many groups there are, a masked theme for each group, then the four categories one at a time, then all sixteen words and the full grouping.

Puzzle date: July 27, 2026 (2026-07-27) · #1142 · Source: the game's public daily data (https://www.nytimes.com/svc/connections/v2/2026-07-27.json). Hints are derived from that day's verified answer data — no invented clues, difficulty scores or word claims.

1. The shape of the puzzle

There are 4 categories of 4 words each (16 words total).

2. The four themes, masked

Each theme below keeps its word shapes and the first letter of every word:

G _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
L _ _ _ T _ _ _ _ _ _ T _ _ _ _ _
K _ _ _ _ O _ S _ _ _ _ _
I _ _ _ _ O _ A S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S _ _ _

3. Reveal a theme, one at a time

Show theme 1

GYMNASTICS APPARATUS

Show theme 2

LONG TAPERED THINGS

Show theme 3

KINDS OF SHIFTS

Show theme 4

ICONS ON A SHOPPING SITE

NYT Connections answer for July 27, 2026 — puzzle #1142

GYMNASTICS APPARATUS

HORSE, BEAM, RINGS, VAULT

LONG TAPERED THINGS

CARROT, KNITTING NEEDLE, ICICLE, STALACTITE

KINDS OF SHIFTS

STICK, GRAVEYARD, PARADIGM, DOPPLER

ICONS ON A SHOPPING SITE

CART, MAGNIFYING GLASS, BELL, HEART

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