Connections Hints

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — June 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.

BASKETBALL
BLACK SWAN
BLUE CHEESE
BLUE MOON
CAESAR
COURT
EARRINGS
ENTOURAGE
GREEN GODDESS
PERFECT STORM
RANCH
RED TAPE
RETINUE
RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS GEAR
SUITE
UNICORN
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Themes

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

CREAMY SALAD DRESSINGSStraightforward
ATTENDANTSModerate
RARE THINGS, IDIOMATICALLYTricky
WHAT "HOOPS" MIGHT REFER TODevious
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One word per group

Theme name plus one word from each category.

CREAMY SALAD DRESSINGSStraightforward
THESE SALAD TOPPINGS ALL HAVE A RICH, SMOOTH TEXTURE+ 3 more…
ATTENDANTSModerate
WORDS MEANING A GROUP OF FOLLOWERS OR COMPANIONS+ 3 more…
RARE THINGS, IDIOMATICALLYTricky
THESE PHRASES ALL DESCRIBE SOMETHING EXCEPTIONALLY UNCOMMON+ 3 more…
WHAT "HOOPS" MIGHT REFER TODevious
THE WORD 'HOOPS' CAN MEAN ALL OF THESE THINGS+ 3 more…
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Full solution
CREAMY SALAD DRESSINGSStraightforward
BLUE CHEESE,CAESAR,GREEN GODDESS,RANCH

Blue Cheese, Caesar, Green Goddess, and Ranch are all creamy salad dressings known for their thick, rich consistency.

ATTENDANTSModerate
COURT,ENTOURAGE,RETINUE,SUITE

Court, Entourage, Retinue, and Suite all refer to a group of attendants or followers accompanying someone important.

RARE THINGS, IDIOMATICALLYTricky
BLACK SWAN,BLUE MOON,PERFECT STORM,UNICORN

Black Swan, Blue Moon, Perfect Storm, and Unicorn are all idiomatic expressions used to describe rare or unlikely phenomena or things.

WHAT "HOOPS" MIGHT REFER TODevious
BASKETBALL,EARRINGS,RED TAPE,RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS GEAR

Hoops can refer to basketball (the sport), earrings (hoop earrings), red tape (jumping through hoops), and rhythmic gymnastics gear (the hoop apparatus).

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