Full Breakdown
NYT Connections Puzzle #1103 (June 18 2026): Solutions, Hints, and Gameplay Overview
6/19/2026, 2:00:41 AM
Core Details of Puzzle #1103
On June 18 2026 the New York Times released Connections puzzle #1103. The grid presented 16 words: WREN, CARRIAGE, KING, PLIE, BARRE, BEARING, TUTU, ATTITUDE, MANDELA, PRESENCE, HAMM, BOOTCAMP, PILATES, JIGS, GANDHI, AEROBICS. Players must sort them into four color-coded groups (yellow, green, blue, purple), each sharing a hidden theme.
How Connections Works and Its Role
Connections launched in June 2023 as a daily word-association game alongside Wordle and the crossword. Each day a new 4 × 4 grid appears at midnight local time. The yellow group is usually the easiest, followed by green, blue, and the most challenging purple. Players may make three incorrect guesses; a fourth ends the round. The game tracks win streaks, perfect scores, and overall win rate, encouraging competitive play among millions of subscribers.
Data & Statistics
- 16 total words, 4 groups of 4 words each.
- 3 allowed wrong guesses before the puzzle ends.
- Color-difficulty order: yellow -> green -> blue -> purple.
- The puzzle’s difficulty was rated “moderate” by Technobezz, with the purple group identified as the “streak-ender.”
Category Solutions and Wordplay
- Yellow (Fitness class types) – AEROBICS, BARRE, BOOTCAMP, PILATES.
- Green (Demeanor) – ATTITUDE, BEARING, CARRIAGE, PRESENCE.
- Blue (Peace activists) – GANDHI, KING, MANDELA, TUTU, all Nobel Peace Prize laureates.
- Purple (Tools minus last two letters) – HAMM (from hammer), JIGS (from jigsaw), PLIE (from pliers), WREN (from wrench). The purple category relies on removing the final two letters of common workshop tools, a word-play twist that distinguishes it from the more straightforward groups.
Official Hints and Guidance
The New York Times provided color-specific clues before the solution: the yellow group “work up a sweat in a group,” the green group “conduct, but not in the electrical sense,” and the purple group “these are maybe less effective if they’re shorter than usual.” An additional editorial hint described the purple mechanic as “take a common workshop tool, chop off its last two letters, and you land here.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “NYT/Screenshot by CNET The yellow words in today's Connections The theme is fitness class types.” — CNET staff, technology reporter
- “The four answers are aerobics, barre, bootcamp and Pilates.” — CNET staff, technology reporter
- “The purple words in today's Connections The theme is tools minus last two letters.” — CNET staff, technology reporter
- “Purple Category Teaser: Take a common workshop tool, chop off its last two letters, and you land here.” — Technobezz writer, gaming editor
- “Blue (Peace Activists): GANDHI, KING, MANDELA, TUTU Four Nobel Peace Prize laureates united by their commitment to nonviolent change.” — Technobezz writer, gaming editor
What’s Next
A new Connections puzzle will appear at midnight in each time zone on June 19 2026. Players can review their performance, adjust strategies for the purple word-play, and aim to improve win streaks before the next daily challenge.
