Connections hint for July 16, 2026
The puzzle for Thursday, July 16, 2026. Every hint is hidden until you open it, so take only the nudge you need.
The 16 words, in starting order
- NEEDLE
- INK
- JET
- DOT MATRIX
- TONER
- POINT BREAK
- LASER
- CHARCOAL
- PEEL
- PITCH
- PERIOD PIECE
- BULLSEYE
- SPOT REMOVER
- EYE CREAM
- CLOCKWORK
- CLAY MASK
Hints, from gentle to full answers
Hint 1Group name cluesShowHide
Colors run from yellow (the most direct link) to purple (the trickiest).
Yellow: the group name is 2 words long and starts with S.
Green: the group name is 3 words long and starts with S.
Blue: the group name is 3 words long and starts with A.
Purple: the group name is 4 words long and starts with S.
Hint 2One word from each groupShowHide
Yellow: CLAY MASK
Green: CHARCOAL
Blue: BULLSEYE
Purple: DOT MATRIX
SpoilerThe four group namesShowHide
Yellow: SKINCARE PRODUCTS
Green: SHADES OF BLACK
Blue: ASSOCIATED WITH PRECISION
Purple: STARTING WITH TINY MARKS
SpoilerReveal the yellow groupShowHide
SKINCARE PRODUCTS: CLAY MASK, EYE CREAM, PEEL, TONER
SpoilerReveal the green groupShowHide
SHADES OF BLACK: CHARCOAL, INK, JET, PITCH
SpoilerReveal the blue groupShowHide
ASSOCIATED WITH PRECISION: BULLSEYE, CLOCKWORK, LASER, NEEDLE
SpoilerReveal the purple groupShowHide
STARTING WITH TINY MARKS: DOT MATRIX, PERIOD PIECE, POINT BREAK, SPOT REMOVER