NYT Connections Hints and Answers for Monday, Nov. 9, 2026 (#1247): Two Hints per Group, Then the Answers

Connections #1247, the Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, puzzle from The New York Times, was edited by Wyna Liu. Ten of the 16 tiles are two-word phrases, which leaves a lot of half-words to juggle, and the scoring rules are on our Connections page. Two hints per group are below; the answers follow under a spoiler heading.

Today’s 16 words

Steak Knife, Card Shark, Con Job, Boot-Cut, Navy Seal, Shell Game, Mint Leaf, Gamma Ray, Tape Dispenser, Low-Rise, Fun Sponge, Rip-Off, Skinny, Flimflam, Grapefruit Spoon, Distressed

Hints for each group

Yellow

• Hint 1

  Each is a trick for getting someone’s money under false pretenses.
• Hint 2

  One hides a pea under one of three cups; another repeats nearly the same syllable twice.
• Reveal the yellow group

  Deceitful Scheme: Con Job, Flimflam, Rip-Off, Shell Game

Green

• Hint 1

  Each describes a cut or finish you could pick when shopping for denim.
• Hint 2

  One sits below the natural waist; one has been worn and faded on purpose.
• Reveal the green group

  Jeans Descriptors: Boot-Cut, Distressed, Low-Rise, Skinny

Blue

• Hint 1

  Run a finger along each one and you would feel a row of tiny teeth.
• Hint 2

  One is a breakfast utensil for a citrus half; one sits on an office desk and tears off sticky strips.
• Reveal the blue group

  Things with Serrated Edges: Grapefruit Spoon, Mint Leaf, Steak Knife, Tape Dispenser

Purple

• Hint 1

  The last word of each one lives in the ocean.
• Hint 2

  One is a burst of high-energy radiation; one is an expert who tends to win at poker.
• Reveal the purple group

  Ending in Sea Creatures: Card Shark, Fun Sponge, Gamma Ray, Navy Seal

Solving tips

Show the solving tips

Begin with the denim. Those tiles are words you would see on a jeans tag, and none has a second meaning strong enough to pull it away.

Two tiles sound like they belong with the scams because one names a hustler and one starts with a sea word. Read the last word of every two-word tile on its own before you lock in that group.

Mark Monday’s result on the printable weekly calendar, or start a month-long record on the November 2026 printable calendar.

More for Monday: Wordle hints, Strands hints and Pips hints.

Today’s Connections answers (spoilers)

Read no further if you are still working on the grid.

• Yellow, Deceitful Scheme

  Con Job, Flimflam, Rip-Off, Shell Game
• Green, Jeans Descriptors

  Boot-Cut, Distressed, Low-Rise, Skinny
• Blue, Things With Serrated Edges

  Grapefruit Spoon, Mint Leaf, Steak Knife, Tape Dispenser
• Purple, Ending in Sea Creatures

  Card Shark, Fun Sponge, Gamma Ray, Navy Seal

1. Deceitful SchemeCon Job, Flimflam, Rip-Off, Shell Game
2. Jeans DescriptorsBoot-Cut, Distressed, Low-Rise, Skinny
3. Things With Serrated EdgesGrapefruit Spoon, Mint Leaf, Steak Knife, Tape Dispenser
4. Ending in Sea CreaturesCard Shark, Fun Sponge, Gamma Ray, Navy Seal

Why the traps worked

Card Shark sounds like the person running a con, so it looks like a fifth scam. It belongs to purple, where its last word is a fish.

Shell Game pulls the other way. Shell is a sea word, yet it comes first in the tile, and the group needs the creature at the end, so it stays with the schemes. Rip-Off can suggest ripped knees on a pair of jeans, and Navy is one of the most common denim colors.

Decoy map

Entry	Real group	Look-alike group	Why it tempts
Card Shark	Ending in Sea Creatures	Deceitful Scheme	It sounds like the hustler behind a con.
Shell Game	Deceitful Scheme	Ending in Sea Creatures	Shell is a sea word, though it comes first.
Navy Seal	Ending in Sea Creatures	Jeans Descriptors	Navy is a common denim color.
Rip-Off	Deceitful Scheme	Jeans Descriptors	Ripped knees are a jeans style, close to Distressed.
Tape Dispenser	Things With Serrated Edges	Deceitful Scheme	It rips tape off a roll, like Rip-Off.

This solution matches the official puzzle file we saved. Tuesday’s Connections is #1248.

Yesterday's Connections answer

The four groups in Connections on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, easiest to hardest:

• Yellow, Muscular: Built, Cut, Jacked, Ripped
• Green, Hair Salon Services: Blowout, Color, Extensions, Trim
• Blue, Things That Help Make Sense of a Situation: Clarity, Context, Insight, Perspective
• Purple, Vegetable Homophones: Carat, Charred, Korn, Leak

Yesterday's hints and full solution.