The New York Times continues to expand the popularity of its daily puzzle lineup with NYT Connections, a word game that challenges players to identify hidden relationships between seemingly unrelated terms. The May 22 puzzle (#1076) offers a balanced mix of straightforward associations and subtle linguistic tricks, making it an enjoyable challenge for both new and experienced players. Today’s board includes categories linked to reconnecting with people, social behaviour, moving transport systems and a playful wordplay-based Purple category involving name-like sounds. This guide includes spoiler-free hints, the complete answers and a quick explanation of how the puzzle works.What is NYT’s ‘Connections’ gameConnections is a daily word puzzle from The New York Times that asks players to group related words together. The game uses four colour-coded difficulty levels — Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple — with Yellow generally being the easiest and Purple often involving more abstract or playful logic.Players receive 16 words and must organise them into four groups of four. Each group shares a hidden connection that may involve categories, meanings, phrases, themes or wordplay.NYT Connections hints for todayYellow: Ways to reconnect with someone Green: Accepted social behaviour and traditions Blue: Things that move people from one place to another Purple: Words that sound like common first namesNYT Connections answers for May 22, 2026Here are the correct groupings for today’s puzzle:Yellow – RECONNECTING WITH SOMEONE: CHECK IN, FOLLOW UP, RECONNECT, TOUCH BASEGreen – SOCIAL CONVENTIONS: CONVENTION, CUSTOM, SOCIAL NORM, UNWRITTEN RULEBlue – MOVING TRANSPORT SURFACES: CONVEYOR BELT, ESCALATOR, MOVING WALKWAY, TRAVELATORPurple – WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE FIRST NAMES: BURY, CARRIE, MARK, WILLHow to play NYT ConnectionsUnderstand the objectiveThe puzzle presents 16 words arranged in a grid. Your goal is to organise them into four groups of four words that share a hidden connection.Access the puzzleA new Connections puzzle is released daily through The New York Times Games website and the NYT mobile app.Begin analysingScan all 16 words carefully and look for the most obvious links first. Rearranging the board can often help reveal hidden patterns and eliminate confusion.Submit your groupsSelect four words that you believe belong together and submit them as a group. Correct answers are locked into place automatically.Watch your mistakesPlayers have a limited number of incorrect guesses before the game ends, so strategic elimination becomes important for tougher categories.Other NYT games to exploreIf you enjoy Connections, The New York Times also offers several other popular daily puzzle games:Wordle: Guess a five-letter word in six attemptsSpelling Bee: Create as many words as possible using a specific set of lettersThe Mini Crossword: A short daily crossword challengeStrands: A word-search-inspired puzzle built around hidden themes