NYT Connections #1246 for November 8, 2026 has four color groups and sixteen tiles.
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Select a color to see its clue, or use the answer section for the complete solution. Definitions and explanations follow in their own section.
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Connections hints (no spoilers)
Yellow
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Informal ways to say someone is very muscular.
Green
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Treatments or changes offered at a hair salon.
Blue
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Things that help you understand what is really going on.
Purple
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Each word sounds like a vegetable name.
Connections answers — November 8, 2026
Yellow Informal ways to say someone is very muscular. Reveal group Hide group
MUSCULAR
- BUILT
- CUT
- JACKED
- RIPPED
These four words all describe a strongly developed, muscular physique in informal English. BUILT and JACKED are common slang for having visible muscle, while RIPPED emphasizes very low body fat with clear muscle definition. CUT belongs here too: in fitness slang it means having sharply defined muscles, even though the same word has many unrelated everyday senses.
Read this group’s word explanationsGreen Treatments or changes offered at a hair salon. Reveal group Hide group
HAIR SALON SERVICES
- BLOWOUT
- COLOR
- EXTENSIONS
- TRIM
Each of these is a familiar service or option at a hair salon. A BLOWOUT is a wash-and-style session that leaves hair smooth and voluminous, COLOR refers to dyeing or changing hair color, EXTENSIONS are added pieces of hair for length or fullness, and a TRIM is a small cut to tidy the ends. The group works because all four are things a stylist might provide.
Read this group’s word explanationsBlue Things that help you understand what is really going on. Reveal group Hide group
THINGS THAT HELP MAKE SENSE OF A SITUATION
- CLARITY
- CONTEXT
- INSIGHT
- PERSPECTIVE
These nouns all concern understanding a situation more fully. CLARITY is the quality of being clear and easy to grasp, CONTEXT is the surrounding information that gives something meaning, INSIGHT is a deep or useful understanding, and PERSPECTIVE is a particular point of view that shapes interpretation. Together they name aids to making sense of events or information.
Read this group’s word explanationsPurple Each word sounds like a vegetable name. Reveal group Hide group
VEGETABLE HOMOPHONES
- CARAT
- CHARRED
- KORN
- LEAK
This group is built on sound rather than meaning. CARAT sounds like CARROT, CHARRED sounds like CHARD, KORN sounds like CORN, and LEAK sounds like LEEK. Each tile is a genuine word in its own right, but the shared connection is that its pronunciation matches a vegetable. KORN is a deliberate respelling, which makes the sound link especially visible.
Read this group’s word explanationsWhy these words fit
Read explanations
Full spoilers below: a closer look at every group and the wordplay behind it.
Yellow
MUSCULAR
These four words all describe a strongly developed, muscular physique in informal English. BUILT and JACKED are common slang for having visible muscle, while RIPPED emphasizes very low body fat with clear muscle definition. CUT belongs here too: in fitness slang it means having sharply defined muscles, even though the same word has many unrelated everyday senses.
- BUILT
-
In informal descriptions of bodies, BUILT means having a solid, muscular build. It is the mildest of the four and can describe a strong frame rather than extreme definition.
- CUT
-
As fitness slang, CUT means showing sharp muscle definition, especially after reducing body fat. The word has many other senses, but here the physical-fitness sense is the one that fits the group.
- JACKED
-
JACKED is informal slang for noticeably muscular, often suggesting a powerful or bulky build. It fits alongside BUILT and RIPPED as a casual compliment about physique.
- RIPPED
-
RIPPED describes a body with very visible muscle separation, usually because body fat is low. It is a stronger, more specific term than BUILT and points to clear definition.
Green
HAIR SALON SERVICES
Each of these is a familiar service or option at a hair salon. A BLOWOUT is a wash-and-style session that leaves hair smooth and voluminous, COLOR refers to dyeing or changing hair color, EXTENSIONS are added pieces of hair for length or fullness, and a TRIM is a small cut to tidy the ends. The group works because all four are things a stylist might provide.
- BLOWOUT
-
A salon BLOWOUT is a washing and blow-drying service that shapes the hair, usually for a smooth, full look. It is a styling service rather than a cut or color treatment.
- COLOR
-
In a salon, COLOR means dyeing or otherwise changing the shade of the hair. It can cover full color, highlights, or other treatments that alter tone.
- EXTENSIONS
-
EXTENSIONS are strands or sections of hair attached to natural hair to add length or volume. They are a salon service and product rather than a haircut.
- TRIM
-
A TRIM is a light haircut that removes split or uneven ends without changing the overall style much. It is one of the most routine salon services.
Blue
THINGS THAT HELP MAKE SENSE OF A SITUATION
These nouns all concern understanding a situation more fully. CLARITY is the quality of being clear and easy to grasp, CONTEXT is the surrounding information that gives something meaning, INSIGHT is a deep or useful understanding, and PERSPECTIVE is a particular point of view that shapes interpretation. Together they name aids to making sense of events or information.
- CLARITY
-
CLARITY is the quality of being clear, whether in a statement, a thought, or a situation. It helps someone see what is meant without confusion.
- CONTEXT
-
CONTEXT is the background information around an event or statement that affects how it should be understood. Without it, the same facts can be misread.
- INSIGHT
-
INSIGHT is a clear or deep understanding of something, often arriving as a useful realization. It helps explain why a situation works the way it does.
- PERSPECTIVE
-
PERSPECTIVE is a point of view or frame of reference. Seeing a situation from another perspective can make its meaning or importance clearer.
Purple
VEGETABLE HOMOPHONES
This group is built on sound rather than meaning. CARAT sounds like CARROT, CHARRED sounds like CHARD, KORN sounds like CORN, and LEAK sounds like LEEK. Each tile is a genuine word in its own right, but the shared connection is that its pronunciation matches a vegetable. KORN is a deliberate respelling, which makes the sound link especially visible.
- CARAT
-
CARAT is a unit for measuring the weight of gemstones, especially diamonds. It sounds like CARROT, the orange root vegetable, which is the link to this group.
- CHARRED
-
CHARRED means burned or scorched on the surface, often from cooking. It sounds like CHARD, the leafy green vegetable, which supplies the sound-based connection.
- KORN
-
KORN is a respelled form of CORN, the grain vegetable. The unusual spelling signals that the word is being used for its sound rather than its standard meaning.
- LEAK
-
LEAK means an unintended escape of liquid, gas, or information. It sounds like LEEK, the long green vegetable related to onion and garlic.
How difficult is this puzzle?
This grid looks approachable at first because several tiles are common words with familiar everyday senses. The yellow group is likely to fall quickly for many solvers, since the four terms are widely used for a fit physique. The green group is also fairly concrete, though BLOWOUT and EXTENSIONS may need a moment to be read as salon terms rather than general words. The blue group is more abstract and may take longer, because its members are nouns for qualities of understanding rather than objects. The purple group is the trickiest in editorial terms: each tile is a real word, but the connection depends on hearing a vegetable name in its sound, and KORN in particular requires recognizing a deliberate respelling. Expect the solve to move from the body and salon groups toward the abstract and sound-based ones.
More Connections answers
Frequently asked questions
What are the four Connections categories in puzzle #1246?
The yellow group is MUSCULAR, with BUILT, CUT, JACKED, and RIPPED. The green group is HAIR SALON SERVICES, with BLOWOUT, COLOR, EXTENSIONS, and TRIM. The blue group is THINGS THAT HELP MAKE SENSE OF A SITUATION, with CLARITY, CONTEXT, INSIGHT, and PERSPECTIVE. The purple group is VEGETABLE HOMOPHONES, with CARAT, CHARRED, KORN, and LEAK.
Why does CUT belong with BUILT, JACKED, and RIPPED?
CUT is being used in its fitness-slang sense, meaning sharply defined muscles. That matches BUILT, JACKED, and RIPPED, which are all informal ways to describe a muscular physique. CUT has many other meanings, but the muscular sense is the one that fits this group.
How do CARAT, CHARRED, KORN, and LEAK connect to vegetables?
Each word sounds like a vegetable name: CARAT like CARROT, CHARRED like CHARD, KORN like CORN, and LEAK like LEEK. The connection is pronunciation, not meaning. KORN is spelled unusually to make the corn sound clear.
Which group is likely to be hardest in this puzzle?
In editorial terms, the purple group is probably the most demanding, because it depends on hearing vegetable names in words that are otherwise ordinary. The blue group is abstract and may also take some time. The yellow and green groups are more concrete and likely to be spotted earlier.
What does BLOWOUT mean in the hair salon group?
A BLOWOUT is a salon service in which the hair is washed and blow-dried into a smooth, full style. It belongs with COLOR, EXTENSIONS, and TRIM because all four are services or options a hair salon offers.
Sources & further reading
Sources & further reading
- The New York Times — Connections