NYT Connections Answer

June 04, 2026

🧩 Today's Puzzle

PUBLIC
WRITER
SALT
PEPPER
OIL
VINEGAR
KITCHEN
TEMPERA
PANACHE
GOUACHE
RUN
TOWN
BEASTIE
VERVE
ACRYLIC
GUSTO

✅ NytConnections Solution

PAINTING MEDIA
ACRYLIC, GOUACHE, OIL, TEMPERA
ESPRIT
GUSTO, PANACHE, VERVE, VINEGAR
STARTS OF CLASSIC HIP-HOP GROUPS
BEASTIE, PUBLIC, RUN, SALT
GHOST ___
KITCHEN, PEPPER, TOWN, WRITER

Another day, another challenge from Wyna Liu! Today’s NYT Connections puzzle for June 4, 2026, was a delightful mix of art history, musical nostalgia, and some spicy vocabulary. If you found yourself staring at the screen wondering how "Vinegar" and "Panache" could possibly belong together, you aren't alone.

Whether you are looking for a small NYT Connections hint to get you over the hump or the full answer for 2026-06-04, I’ve got you covered.

What's the Vibe Today?

Today’s grid required a bit of lateral thinking. We had some very specific technical terms (painting styles) clashing with more abstract concepts of personality. There was also a clever "missing word" category that might trip up anyone who isn't a fan of spicy food or spooky stories.

Category Hints

If you just want a little nudge in the right direction, here are some hints for today’s groupings:

  • Yellow: Think about the supplies you might find in an artist's studio.
  • Green: These words all describe someone with a lot of energy, flair, or "pizazz."
  • Blue: These are the first words of some of the most legendary names in 80s and 90s rap.
  • Purple: These words all share a common, spooky prefix.

Today's Connections Answers

Yellow: PAINTING MEDIA

These are different types of substances or pigments used by artists to create their masterpieces.

  • ACRYLIC: A fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion.
  • GOUACHE: A type of water-media paint that is heavier and more opaque than watercolor.
  • OIL: A slow-drying paint made of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed.
  • TEMPERA: A permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually egg yolk.

Green: ESPRIT

This category is all about zest and personality. While most of these are common, "Vinegar" is the curveball here. In this context, having "piss and vinegar" (or just vinegar) implies having a tough, spirited, or lively character.

  • GUSTO: Enjoyment or vigor in doing something.
  • PANACHE: Flamboyant confidence of style or manner.
  • VERVE: Vigor and spirit or enthusiasm.
  • VINEGAR: Spirit, pluck, or energy.

Blue: STARTS OF CLASSIC HIP-HOP GROUPS

If you grew up with a radio in the 80s or 90s, this category likely jumped out at you. Each of these is the first word of a famous rap group.

  • BEASTIE: (Beastie Boys)
  • PUBLIC: (Public Enemy)
  • RUN: (Run-D.M.C.)
  • SALT: (Salt-N-Pepa)

Purple: GHOST ___

The dreaded purple category! Today, it's a "fill-in-the-blank" situation. Each of these words can follow the word "Ghost."

  • KITCHEN: A professional food preparation and cooking facility set up for the preparation of delivery-only meals.
  • PEPPER: One of the hottest chili peppers in the world (the Bhut Jolokia).
  • TOWN: An abandoned village or town.
  • WRITER: A person who is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person.

Final Thoughts on the June 4 Puzzle

The hardest part of today's puzzle was definitely the overlap between VINEGAR and the "Ghost" category (Ghost Vinegar isn't a thing, but it sounds like it could be a fancy cleaning product!). Once you realize that SALT and PEPPER belong to different groups, the rest of the board begins to fall into place.

How did you do? Did the "Ghost Kitchen" trip you up, or are you a delivery app expert?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NYT Connections?

Connections is a daily word puzzle from The New York Times where players must find groups of four items that share something in common. Each puzzle has 16 words, divided into four categories of varying difficulty.

How to play NYT Connections?

You select four words that you believe have a common thread. If you are correct, the category is revealed and the words are removed from the board. You have four lives (mistakes) before the game ends.

When does NYT Connections reset?

The puzzle resets daily at midnight in your local time zone.

What do the colors mean in Connections?

The colors indicate the difficulty level of the category:

  • Yellow: The most straightforward category.
  • Green: Slightly more challenging.
  • Blue: Tricky or abstract.
  • Purple: The most difficult, often involving wordplay or "fill-in-the-blank" themes.