If you’re looking for the NYT Connections hints and answers for November 12, 2026, today’s puzzle (#1250) has some clever wordplay that might catch you off guard. The four categories involve surprising exclamations, words related to variations, cooking methods, and famous Best Picture Oscar winners.
Today’s Connections grid features 16 words that you need to sort into four groups of four. While the yellow category is relatively straightforward, the purple group requires some movie knowledge. If you’re stuck on a particular group, check out our hints below before revealing all four answers.
NYT Connections Hints Today (November 12, 2026)
Here are some spoiler-free hints to help you solve today’s Connections puzzle without revealing the answers immediately.
- Yellow: Expressions people use when they’re surprised or shocked.
- Green: Look at the first word of each phrase. They all relate to different forms of variation.
- Blue: Pay attention to the last word. Each one can describe a way of cooking food.
- Purple: The first words are connected to movies that won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
NYT Connections Words Today
Here are all 16 words featured in today’s November 12 Connections puzzle:
GREAT SCOTT, ROCKY ROAD, YOU’RE TOAST, FLUX CAPACITOR, MOONLIGHT SONATA, JIMINY CRICKET, MARTY MCFLY, COMEDY ROAST, DOC BROWN, CHANGE PURSE, ARCTIC CHAR, GOOD HEAVENS, SHIFT DRESS, GLADIATOR SANDALS, HOLY SMOKES, SWING SET.
NYT Connections Answers Today for November 12, 2026
Ready for the solutions? Today’s Connections puzzle has four categories: “Gadzooks!”, Starting with Variations, Ending in Ways to Cook Things, and Starting with Best Picture Oscar Winners.
Here are all four groups and their answers.
Yellow: “Gadzooks!”
- GOOD HEAVENS
- GREAT SCOTT
- HOLY SMOKES
- JIMINY CRICKET
These are all expressions used to show surprise, shock, or amazement. They’re mostly old-fashioned or humorous exclamations.
Green: Starting with Variations
- CHANGE PURSE
- FLUX CAPACITOR
- SHIFT DRESS
- SWING SET
The first words in these phrases relate to change or variation. Change, flux, shift, and swing can all describe different forms of movement or variation.
Blue: Ending in Ways to Cook Things
- ARCTIC CHAR
- COMEDY ROAST
- DOC BROWN
- YOU’RE TOAST
The final words refer to cooking methods or results involving heat. Char, roast, brown, and toast are all associated with preparing food.
Purple: Starting with Best Picture Oscar Winners
- GLADIATOR SANDALS
- MARTY MCFLY
- MOONLIGHT SONATA
- ROCKY ROAD
This is the trickiest category today. Each phrase begins with the title of a movie that won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
- Gladiator (2001)
- Marty (1956)
- Moonlight (2017)
- Rocky (1977)
What Is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is a popular daily word puzzle from The New York Times. Players get a grid containing 16 words and must organize them into four groups of four based on their shared connections.
Each group has a different difficulty level, represented by a color:
- Yellow: The easiest category.
- Green: A moderately easy category.
- Blue: A more challenging connection.
- Purple: Usually the trickiest category, often involving wordplay or less obvious connections.
You get four chances to make mistakes before the game ends. Finding the connections without wasting guesses is the key to maintaining your winning streak.
You can play the game on the official New York Times Games website.
Final Thoughts
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle (#1250) is a fun mix of expressions, wordplay, cooking terminology, and Oscar-winning movies. The purple category is particularly tricky if you don’t immediately recognize the movie titles hidden at the beginning of each phrase.
Did you manage to solve all four groups without making a mistake? Follow GamerUrge and come back tomorrow for more NYT Connections hints and answers.
