Connections Hints

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — July 2, 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.

BILLY GOAT
COPYCAT
COURT JESTER
DAN DAN NOODLES
DIAMOND RING
FIELD MOUSE
LOOKING GLASS
MIME
MOCKINGBIRD
RICH TEXT
SPECTACLES
T-1000
TALKIE
TOM-TOM
TRACK RECORD
WATER CLOSET
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Themes

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

THEY IMPERSONATE OTHER THINGSStraightforward
OLD-TIMEY NAMES FOR THINGS WE STILL USEModerate
STARTING WITH NICKNAMESTricky
STARTING WITH SPORTS VENUESDevious
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One word per group

Theme name plus one word from each category.

THEY IMPERSONATE OTHER THINGSStraightforward
THESE ALL COPY, MIMIC, OR PRETEND TO BE SOMETHING ELSE+ 3 more…
OLD-TIMEY NAMES FOR THINGS WE STILL USEModerate
YOUR GRANDPARENTS CALLED EVERYDAY OBJECTS BY THESE NAMES+ 3 more…
STARTING WITH NICKNAMESTricky
EACH PHRASE BEGINS WITH A COMMON NICKNAME FOR A PERSON'S NAME+ 3 more…
STARTING WITH SPORTS VENUESDevious
EACH OF THESE STARTS WITH A PLACE WHERE SPORTS ARE PLAYED+ 3 more…
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Full solution
THEY IMPERSONATE OTHER THINGSStraightforward
COPYCAT,MIME,MOCKINGBIRD,T-1000

COPYCAT, MIME, MOCKINGBIRD, and T-1000 (from Terminator 2) all impersonate or imitate other things — the T-1000 literally shapeshifts into people

OLD-TIMEY NAMES FOR THINGS WE STILL USEModerate
LOOKING GLASS,SPECTACLES,TALKIE,WATER CLOSET

LOOKING GLASS (mirror), SPECTACLES (glasses), TALKIE (movie with sound), and WATER CLOSET (toilet) are all antiquated terms for things we still use today

STARTING WITH NICKNAMESTricky
BILLY GOAT,DAN DAN NOODLES,RICH TEXT,TOM-TOM

BILLY GOAT (Billy), DAN DAN NOODLES (Dan), RICH TEXT (Rich), and TOM-TOM (Tom) all start with nicknames — short forms of William, Daniel, Richard, and Thomas

STARTING WITH SPORTS VENUESDevious
COURT JESTER,DIAMOND RING,FIELD MOUSE,TRACK RECORD

COURT JESTER (court), DIAMOND RING (diamond = baseball field), FIELD MOUSE (field), and TRACK RECORD (track) all begin with a word that names a sports venue or playing surface

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