Connections Hints

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — May 16, 2026

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Show the word gridAll 16 words — you figure out the groups
Show the themesCategory names only, no words revealed
One word per groupTheme name + one word per category
Full solutionAll words and explanations
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Word grid

All 16 words, sorted alphabetically. Group them into four categories of four.

ALLEGRO
BASSOON
BELFAST
COUPE
FIDDLE
FLUTE
FORTE
LARGO
MESS
NESQUICK
PIANO
PLAY
STEIN
THERMOSTAT
TINKER
TUMBLER
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Themes

The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.

GLASSWAREStraightforward
MESS AROUND (WITH)Moderate
MUSIC PERFORMANCE DIRECTIONSTricky
ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR "ASAP"Devious
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One word per group

Theme name plus one word from each category.

GLASSWAREStraightforward
THESE VESSELS HOLD YOUR DRINK, FROM BEER HALLS TO CHAMPAGNE TOASTS+ 3 more…
MESS AROUND (WITH)Moderate
WORDS MEANING TO TOY OR FOOL AROUND WITH SOMETHING+ 3 more…
MUSIC PERFORMANCE DIRECTIONSTricky
ITALIAN WORDS YOU'D FIND ON A SHEET OF MUSIC TELLING YOU HOW TO PERFORM+ 3 more…
ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR "ASAP"Devious
EACH WORD HIDES A SYNONYM FOR 'IMMEDIATELY' AT ITS TAIL END+ 3 more…
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Full solution
GLASSWAREStraightforward
COUPE,FLUTE,STEIN,TUMBLER

COUPE, FLUTE, STEIN, and TUMBLER are all types of drinking glasses or vessels

MESS AROUND (WITH)Moderate
FIDDLE,MESS,PLAY,TINKER

FIDDLE, MESS, PLAY, and TINKER all mean to mess around or experiment casually with something

MUSIC PERFORMANCE DIRECTIONSTricky
ALLEGRO,FORTE,LARGO,PIANO

ALLEGRO, FORTE, LARGO, and PIANO are all Italian musical performance directions indicating tempo or dynamics

ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR "ASAP"Devious
BASSOON,BELFAST,NESQUICK,THERMOSTAT

BASSOON (SOON), BELFAST (FAST), NESQUICK (QUICK), and THERMOSTAT (STAT) all end in words meaning ASAP or immediately

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