Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
I bet a lot of players were stumped by today’s NYT Connections puzzle. Let’s talk about the word “vinegar” in the grid. I feel the New York Times might be referencing the old saying that someone is “full of piss and vinegar,” and, if so, has anyone other than a crotchety old prospector used that phrase in the past century? I’m sure there are other tough words in the grid, but “vinegar” stuck out for me. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.
The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.
Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time
Hints for today’s Connections groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: You might need a brush.
Green group hint: Such enthusiasm!
Blue group hint: Groups in the same musical genre.
Purple group hint: Boo!
Answers for today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: Painting media.
Green group: Esprit.
Blue group: Starts of classic hip-hop groups.
Purple group: Ghost ____.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections answers?
The completed NYT Connections puzzle for June 4, 2026.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is painting media. The four answers are acrylic, gouache, oil and tempera.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is esprit. The four answers are gusto, panache, verve and vinegar.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is starts of classic hip-hop groups. The four answers are Beastie (Beastie Boys), Public (Public Enemy), Run (Run-D.M.C.) and Salt (Salt-N-Pepa).
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is ghost ____. The four answers are kitchen, pepper, town and writer.
Quick tips for Connections
#1: Say the clue words out loud, pausing before and after each. That helps you hear the words in the context of a phrase. The Connections editors love to group words together that are used in similar phrasing, like ____ Up.
#2: Don’t go for the obvious grouping. These editors are smart. Once, they offered SPONGE, BOB, SQUARE and PANTS in the same puzzle. None of those words were in the same category. If you like, hit the “shuffle” button to give yourself a different perspective on the words.
#3: Break down any compound words and look for similarities. “Rushmore” was once in a puzzle where the connection was that each word started with the name of a rock band.
