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Updated and verified for November 11, 2026 Spoiler-safePuzzle #1249

NYT Connections #1249 Hints Today (November 11, 2026)

Connections puzzle #1249 for November 11, 2026 combines medicine terms, golf-course features, air-filled things, and words whose final letters form palindromes.

Guide editorJordan EllisEditor

Start here

Take one step at a time

4 groups
Group 1Category hidden
Group 2Category hidden
Group 3Category hidden
Group 4Category hidden

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

How the board fits together

Keep the relationships broad and literal. In particular, the air group is THINGS FILLED WITH AIR, while the final group depends only on palindrome endings rather than the full words being palindromes.

Overall difficultyThe board mixes familiar category words with a less direct ending-based pattern, so careful attention to exact relationships matters.Biggest trapGREEN, ROUGH, and SAND TRAP strongly suggest golf, but that set cannot be completed until TEE BOX is identified; BUBBLE instead belongs with the air-filled items.Best first moveStart with GREEN, ROUGH, SAND TRAP, and TEE BOX, which all satisfy the literal category PARTS OF A GOLF COURSE.

Why the board is deceptive

One direct route begins with the four golf-course parts, then separates the four things filled with air from the medicine terms.

The remaining words require examining their endings: AFTERNOON, PATOOT, RHEOSTATS, and SHREDDER end in NOON, TOOT, STATS, and REDDER.

Open the clean solving route

One way through the board

Solve the golf-course set first, gather the four exact kinds of medicine next, and then test AIR MATTRESS, BUBBLE, TIRE, and WHOOPIE CUSHION against the broad relationship THINGS FILLED WITH AIR. Read the endings of the final four words to confirm the palindrome category.

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.

Medicine termsReveal this group

What connects FOLK, HERBAL, HOLISTIC and TRADITIONAL?

FOLK · HERBAL · HOLISTIC · TRADITIONAL

KINDS OF MEDICINE. Each word can appear before “medicine,” producing folk medicine, herbal medicine, holistic medicine, and traditional medicine.

Best anchor: Try placing the same noun after all four words.

Course featuresReveal this group

What connects GREEN, ROUGH, SAND TRAP and TEE BOX?

GREEN · ROUGH · SAND TRAP · TEE BOX

PARTS OF A GOLF COURSE. GREEN, ROUGH, SAND TRAP, and TEE BOX are all parts of a golf course, matching the official relationship literally.

Best anchor: Build the set around the two-word golf locations.

Inflated thingsReveal this group

What connects AIR MATTRESS, BUBBLE, TIRE and WHOOPIE CUSHION?

AIR MATTRESS · BUBBLE · TIRE · WHOOPIE CUSHION

THINGS FILLED WITH AIR. An AIR MATTRESS, BUBBLE, TIRE, and WHOOPIE CUSHION each fits the official category THINGS FILLED WITH AIR.

Best anchor: Use the category’s broad wording rather than narrowing its function.

Palindrome endingsReveal this group

What connects AFTERNOON, PATOOT, RHEOSTATS and SHREDDER?

AFTERNOON · PATOOT · RHEOSTATS · SHREDDER

ENDING IN PALINDROMES. The words end in palindromes: AFTERNOON ends in NOON, PATOOT in TOOT, RHEOSTATS in STATS, and SHREDDER in REDDER.

Best anchor: Underline a reversible letter sequence at each word’s end.

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 guideKinds of Medicine Connections Group Explained — November 11, 2026Explain this connection Supporting clue guideParts of a Golf Course Connections Group — November 11, 2026Explain this connection Supporting clue guideThings Filled With Air Connections Group — November 11, 2026Explain this connection Supporting clue guideWords Ending in Palindromes — Connections November 11, 2026Explain this connection Supporting clue guideDefinitions for all 16 puzzle wordsExplain 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
    KINDS OF MEDICINE

    Try placing the same noun after all four words.

  2. 2
    PARTS OF A GOLF COURSE

    Build the set around the two-word golf locations.

  3. 3
    THINGS FILLED WITH AIR

    Use the category’s broad wording rather than narrowing its function.

  4. 4
    ENDING IN PALINDROMES

    Underline a reversible letter sequence at each word’s end.

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 GREEN, ROUGH, SAND TRAP, and TEE BOX, which all satisfy the literal category PARTS OF A GOLF COURSE..

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.

The four words are united by the exact phrase KINDS OF MEDICINE, without requiring a narrower shared definition. groupMedicine terms
KINDS OF MEDICINE: Try placing the same noun after all four words.
Several words have meanings outside golf, so confirm that every choice names a part of a golf course. groupCourse features
PARTS OF A GOLF COURSE: Build the set around the two-word golf locations.
The relationship is broad: each item is a thing filled with air, not necessarily the same kind of object. groupInflated things
THINGS FILLED WITH AIR: Use the category’s broad wording rather than narrowing its function.
The connection appears at the ends of the words rather than in their ordinary meanings. groupPalindrome endings
ENDING IN PALINDROMES: Underline a reversible letter sequence at each word’s end.

Language background

Useful guides for today’s wordplay

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

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

Jordan Ellis

Jordan connects editorial explanations with practice tools, custom puzzles and the site’s future original games.

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