Today’s word-game hints, updated daily
HintCorner

Daily word-game guide

Spoiler-safeJuly 24, 2026Puzzle #1139

NYT Connections Hints and Answers for July 24, 2026

The July 24, 2026 board mixes conversational habits, baseball results, memory triggers, and playful sound-alike clues.

Guide editorSofia RamirezEditor

Start here

Take one step at a time

4 groups
TALK AT LENGTHEasy
OUTCOMES FOR A BATTEREasy
BRING TO MIND, AS A MEMORYMedium
HOMOPHONES OF RELIGIOUS ROLESHard

Need more than a hint?

Get a spoiler-safe solving plan

Use three general checks to make progress without seeing a category or answer.

Open today’s solving plan
  1. Prefer an exact rule.A shared topic is only a lead. Look for four words connected in the same precise way.
  2. Find the least flexible word.Use the word with the narrowest meaning to place words that could belong in several groups.
  3. Test the grammar.If the leftovers look unrelated, try placing one common word before or after each answer.

Reveal guide

Choose only as much help as you need

Every group has its own ladder. Opening one level never exposes another group.

  1. 1
    Start with a small hint

    Get a gentle nudge without seeing the category or its words.

  2. 2
    Ask for a stronger hint

    Use a more specific clue before revealing the category.

  3. 3
    Reveal only what you choose

    Open the category, then the four words only when you are ready.

You remain in control. You can move between levels without revealing the rest of the puzzle.

Practice board guide

Try a group without risking your streak

This scratchpad checks your thinking locally. It never sends a guess to the official puzzle.

  1. 1
    Choose four words

    Tap any four tiles that share one precise connection.

  2. 2
    Check the set

    Once four are selected, press “Check these four.”

  3. 3
    Keep it or adjust

    A correct group is confirmed. If it misses, swap one word or open a hint.

Nothing here affects an official streak. Clear the board at any time and try another four.

Today’s puzzle explained

A board built around flexible meanings

The board and group wording follow the validated NYT source exactly. Selected supporting pages explain individual connections without replacing the dated puzzle hub.

Overall difficultyMediumBiggest trapSeveral words can describe movement, memory, or a result, so surface meanings point toward plausible but incomplete groups.Best first moveStart with the most concrete set: HOME RUN, SINGLE, STRIKEOUT, and WALK are all outcomes for a batter.

Why the board is deceptive

Four well-known baseball terms that describe the potential fate of a batter comprise the clearest group.

The remaining groups reward attention to verbs, speech patterns, and how words sound when spoken aloud.

Open the clean solving route

One way through the board

Lock in the baseball group first, then look for four ways of talking at length. With those removed, the memory-related verbs become easier to separate from the final homophone group.

Spoilers below

Today’s groups and answers

Each group stays hidden until you choose to open it. Reveal one at a time, or keep this section closed while you continue solving.

TALK AT LENGTHReveal this group

What connects BABBLE, DRONE, RAMBLE and YAK?

BABBLE · DRONE · RAMBLE · YAK

TALK AT LENGTH. BABBLE, DRONE, RAMBLE, and YAK can each describe prolonged or excessive talking, although their tones and degrees of clarity differ.

Best anchor: The group is unified by speech that keeps going.

OUTCOMES FOR A BATTERReveal this group

What connects HOME RUN, SINGLE, STRIKEOUT and WALK?

HOME RUN · SINGLE · STRIKEOUT · WALK

OUTCOMES FOR A BATTER. In baseball, a batter may hit a HOME RUN or SINGLE, receive a WALK, or finish with a STRIKEOUT.

Best anchor: Baseball turns all four into official plate-appearance results.

BRING TO MIND, AS A MEMORYReveal this group

What connects JOG, PROMPT, REFRESH and SPARK?

JOG · PROMPT · REFRESH · SPARK

BRING TO MIND, AS A MEMORY. A person, image, question, or experience can JOG, PROMPT, REFRESH, or SPARK a memory, with each verb expressing mental recall.

Best anchor: A common action is causing a memory to surface.

HOMOPHONES OF RELIGIOUS ROLESReveal this group

What connects CANTER, FRYER, LLAMA and NONE?

CANTER · FRYER · LLAMA · NONE

HOMOPHONES OF RELIGIOUS ROLES. The spellings are ordinary words, but their pronunciations correspond to cantor, friar, lama, and nun, four religious roles.

Best anchor: The relationship relies on pronunciation and spelling variations.

Today’s supporting guides

Why the trickiest words belong together

These focused articles go beyond the answer: they explain the exact relationship, the convincing red herrings and how to recognize the pattern again.

Supporting clue guideWhat Connects Babble, Drone, Ramble And Yak?Explain this connection Supporting clue guideWhat Connects Home Run, Single, Strikeout And Walk?Explain this connection Supporting clue guideWhat Connects Canter, Fryer, Llama And None?Explain this connection

Browse every Connections clue explainer →

How to solve this Connections puzzle

The thinking route, not just the answers

Use today’s anchor words as a repeatable method: secure an exact group, remove it, and let the remaining board become more specific.

  1. 1
    TALK AT LENGTH

    The group is unified by speech that keeps going.

  2. 2
    OUTCOMES FOR A BATTER

    Baseball turns all four into official plate-appearance results.

  3. 3
    BRING TO MIND, AS A MEMORY

    A common action is causing a memory to surface.

  4. 4
    HOMOPHONES OF RELIGIOUS ROLES

    The relationship relies on pronunciation and spelling variations.

Mental model to reuse tomorrow

Exact relationship beats shared topic

Weak rule“These words feel related.”A broad topic can support several tempting but unstable groups.

Strong rule“The same test works for all four.”One precise relationship should explain every answer in the same way.

Today’s best first move: Start with the most concrete set: HOME RUN, SINGLE, STRIKEOUT, and WALK are all outcomes for a batter..

Build your solving vocabulary

Four anchors worth spotting

An anchor is the least flexible word in a possible group. It often exposes the intended relationship before the more ambiguous words do.

Easy groupTALK AT LENGTH
TALK AT LENGTH: The group is unified by speech that keeps going.
Easy groupOUTCOMES FOR A BATTER
OUTCOMES FOR A BATTER: Baseball turns all four into official plate-appearance results.
Medium groupBRING TO MIND, AS A MEMORY
BRING TO MIND, AS A MEMORY: A common action is causing a memory to surface.
Hard groupHOMOPHONES OF RELIGIOUS ROLES
HOMOPHONES OF RELIGIOUS ROLES: The relationship relies on pronunciation and spelling variations.

Language background

Useful guides for today’s wordplay

These independent language explainers add definition, origin or usage context where it genuinely helps.

Language guideSpark Meaning

Go deeper on this word or phrase without duplicating the puzzle explanation.

Read the language guide

Questions players ask

Connections help without extra spoilers

I’m stuck. Which hint should I open first?

Start with the small hint for the group you feel closest to solving. Use the stronger hint only if the first nudge is not enough, then reveal the category or four words when you want confirmation.

What should I do when five words seem to belong together?

Assume one is a red herring. Look for the word with a strong second meaning, then test whether it forms a cleaner group elsewhere.

What does “Test a group” do?

Select four words and choose “Check these four” to see whether your grouping works. It stays on this page and never submits a guess to the official puzzle or affects a streak.

Do I need to solve the groups in difficulty order?

No. Start with the clearest exact set. Removing an obvious group often exposes the overlapping meanings and wordplay in the harder groups.

Can I check one answer without spoiling the whole puzzle?

Yes. Every group opens independently, so you can reveal one hint, category or set of four words while keeping the other groups hidden.

About the guide editor

Sofia Ramirez

Sofia verifies puzzle dates, public numbers, source facts and the archive details that keep daily guides reliable.

Read Sofia’s profile →