The Monday edition of NYT Connections arrives with puzzle #1170, serving up a grid that rewards vocabulary, arena knowledge, and a sharp ear for sound-based construction.
What Makes Connections Tick
For newcomers, NYT Connections presents 16 words that must be sorted into four thematic groups of four. The twist? You're limited to four mistakes, and the color-coded difficulty system (yellow being easiest, purple being trickiest) means surface-level connections often mislead.
Since its June 2023 launch, Connections has carved out its niche in the Times' puzzle ecosystem, standing alongside Wordle and the crossword as a daily ritual for millions of players worldwide. The game's genius lies in its red herrings, words that could fit multiple categories but belong in only one.
Today's Grid at a Glance
Here are the 16 words staring back at you in puzzle #1170:
SOLE | DESERVE | MAIN | EYELET
HEEL | PRIME | EX-LOVE | ARCH
MULLET | KAYFABE | BESET | PIKE
FACE | TANG | CHIEF | JOBBER
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Look beneath the surface for a set drawn from the same broad corner of the animal kingdom.
Green Category Clue: Think about words that can describe something holding the highest importance or rank.
Blue Category Hint: Enter the world of scripted combat and consider the specialized vocabulary used around its performers and storytelling.
Purple Category Teaser: Say the openings aloud, then listen for a single character before a term from a racket sport.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (Fish): MULLET, PIKE, SOLE, TANG
MULLET, PIKE, SOLE, and TANG are all FISH.
SOLE creates a clean footwear distraction with HEEL, while ARCH strengthens that false route from another group.
Green (Principal): ARCH, CHIEF, MAIN, PRIME
ARCH, CHIEF, MAIN, and PRIME can each mean PRINCIPAL, conveying foremost importance or rank.
ARCH is the troublemaker here because it joins SOLE and HEEL in suggesting parts or features of a foot.
Blue (Pro-Wrestling Lingo): FACE, HEEL, JOBBER, KAYFABE
FACE, HEEL, JOBBER, and KAYFABE are PRO-WRESTLING LINGO. A face is a heroic character, a heel is a villain, a jobber is booked to lose, and kayfabe is the presentation of staged events as genuine.
HEEL is the strongest red herring because SOLE and ARCH make the grid briefly resemble a body or footwear grouping.
Purple (Letter Homophone Plus Tennis Term): BESET, DESERVE, EX-LOVE, EYELET
BESET, DESERVE, EX-LOVE, and EYELET each combine a letter homophone with a tennis term: B plus SET, D plus SERVE, X plus LOVE, and I plus LET.
The spelling conceals the seams, so hearing bee-set, dee-serve, ex-love, and eye-let is the key to the construction.
The Verdict
The FISH group is the cleanest entry point, with four concrete names that settle quickly once the aquatic connection appears.
The real trap runs through SOLE, ARCH, and HEEL, three convincing foot-related words deliberately split across yellow, green, and blue.
Purple is the streak-deciding group because its four entries only lock together after each opening sound is separated from SET, SERVE, LOVE, or LET.
Reset and Repeat
Today's finest flourish was the letter-sound tennis trick, a construction that turned four ordinary-looking entries into a satisfying final reveal. Reset the grid tomorrow and come back ready to listen as closely as you read.
For now, puzzle #1170 is solved. See you at midnight for the next round.
