NYT Connections Hints for July 31, 2026 — Puzzle #1146

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

Hints and answers for NYT Connections #1146 on July 31, 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 31, 2026 (2026-07-31) · #1146 · Source: the game's public daily data (https://www.nytimes.com/svc/connections/v2/2026-07-31.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:

C _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
S _ _ _ _ M _ _ _ _ F _ _ _ _ _ _
F _ _ _ _ _ P _ _ _ S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ L _ _ _ _ _
S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ W _ _ _ M _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3. Reveal a theme, one at a time

Show theme 1

CONSTRUCT

Show theme 2

SUPER MARIO FIGURES

Show theme 3

FRUITS PLUS STARTING LETTER

Show theme 4

STARTING WITH MERRIMENTS

NYT Connections answer for July 31, 2026 — puzzle #1146

CONSTRUCT

MOLD, FASHION, MODEL, SHAPE

SUPER MARIO FIGURES

PRINCESS, MUSHROOM, DINOSAUR, PLUMBER

FRUITS PLUS STARTING LETTER

SPEAR, DAPPLE, SLIME, JDATE

STARTING WITH MERRIMENTS

JOYSTICK, FUNGUS, CHEERIOS, GLEEK

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