Story perspectives

NYT May 21 Connections Puzzle: Four Color-Coded Word Groups

5/21/2026

Summary

NYT Publishes Puzzle

The New York Times published the May 21 2026 Connections puzzle (#1075).
The puzzle arranges sixteen words into four color-coded groups—Yellow (pie types), Green (butt-related items), Blue (tennis scores), and Purple (___ mustard descriptors).
The puzzle received a three-out-of-five difficulty rating, is free, resets at midnight and allows four wrong guesses.

Summary

Connections Hint Guide

The May 21 Connections hint lists categories—yellow (re-connect), green (breakages), blue (auto movement), purple (proper nouns)—and the May 20 hint lists categories—yellow (baked-goods), green (rears), blue (tennis), purple (tart mustard-like condiment).
The “Herring Watch” note warns that the May 21 piece lacks a “luggage/airport” category and the May 20 piece lacks a “terms of endearment” category.
Each article cross-promotes a “Related 10 Best Indie Puzzle Games” list and asks readers to share scores in comments.

Summary

Athletic Launches Puzzle

Sports Edition, published by The Athletic and owned by The Times, appears only in The Athletic’s app.
The May 21 Strands puzzle’s FABRICS theme includes spangram FABRICS and answers SILK, WOOL, VELVET, COTTON, DENIM, SATIN, LINEN, FLEECE.
Today’s Wordle answer is AGREE, a five-letter word meaning “to share the same opinion,” with the article naming PHAT, BIGEYE and SKIPJACK as the toughest Strands and Wordle words.

History

Historical Context

After debuting its first print crossword on 15 February 1942, The New York Times experimented with digital puzzles in the early 1990s, paving the way for the late-1990s online rollout that later became NYT Games. Established in 2014, NYT Games now serves over 10 million daily players globally, a legacy echoed by recent popular hits like Wordle and Connections.

1 of 4

NYT Publishes Puzzle

The New York Times published the May 21 2026 Connections puzzle (#1075).
The puzzle arranges sixteen words into four color-coded groups—Yellow (pie types), Green (butt-related items), Blue (tennis scores), and Purple (___ mustard descriptors).
The puzzle received a three-out-of-five difficulty rating, is free, resets at midnight and allows four wrong guesses.

1 / 4