NYT Connections Answer

Good morning, puzzle enthusiasts! If you’ve just opened your NYT Connections grid for May 21, 2026, and found yourself staring at a mix of sports terms, condiments, and... cabooses? You aren't alone.

Today’s puzzle, curated by Wyna Liu, offers a delightful mix of regional flavors and cheeky slang. Whether you are a tennis pro or a dessert lover, there’s something here to trip you up if you aren't careful. Let’s dive into the answer for 2026-05-21 and break down the logic behind these groups.

Today's Hints and Tips

Before we reveal the full solution, here is a little NYT Connections hint to get your brain moving:

• Yellow Category: Think of the dessert table at a holiday dinner.
• Green Category: All of these words are euphemisms or symbols for the same part of the body.
• Blue Category: You’ll need a racket and some fuzzy yellow balls for this one.
• Purple Category: One of these is a character in a classic board game; the others are found in your fridge.

Yellow: Kinds of Pies

The yellow category is usually the most straightforward, and today it focuses on classic American pies. While "Pumpkin" and "Pecan" are staples everywhere, a few of these might be a bit more regional.

• CHESS
• PECAN
• PUMPKIN
• SHOOFLY

Why they fit: These are all distinct varieties of pie. Chess pie is a Southern staple made primarily of eggs, butter, and sugar, while Shoofly pie is a molasses-based crumb pie famous in Pennsylvania Dutch country.

Green: Things Associated with Butts

This group is a bit cheeky! These four words are all slang terms, emojis, or actions related to one's rear end.

• CABOOSE
• CAN
• MOON
• PEACH

Why they fit: Peach is the universal emoji for a butt; Caboose and Can are old-school slang terms; and to Moon someone is a specific (and usually unwanted) action involving that anatomy.

Blue: Tennis Scoring Terms

If you’re a fan of the Grand Slams, this category likely jumped out at you immediately. It covers the unique progression of points in a game of tennis.

• ADVANTAGE
• DEUCE
• FORTY
• LOVE

Why they fit: In tennis, Love represents zero, Forty is the third point in a game, Deuce is a tie at 40-40, and Advantage is the point earned after a deuce.

Purple: ___ Mustard

The purple category is the trickiest and often involves a "fill-in-the-blank" or a hidden connection. Today, it’s all about different types (and one specific person) associated with mustard.

• COLONEL
• HONEY
• HOT
• YELLOW

Why they fit: Each of these words precedes the word "Mustard." Honey, Hot, and Yellow are varieties of the condiment, while Colonel Mustard is the iconic yellow-themed suspect from the board game Clue.

Summary for May 21, 2026

If you were looking for the quick answer for 2026-05-21, here is how the categories shook out:

• Kinds of Pies: Chess, Pecan, Pumpkin, Shoofly
• Things Associated with Butts: Caboose, Can, Moon, Peach
• Tennis Scoring Terms: Advantage, Deuce, Forty, Love
• ___ Mustard: Colonel, Honey, Hot, Yellow

Today’s puzzle was a fun balance. The overlap between "Yellow" (the color) and "Yellow" (the mustard) was a classic Wyna Liu misdirection!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you play NYT Connections?

Connections is a daily puzzle where you are given 16 words and must group them into four sets of four based on a common theme. Each group is color-coded by difficulty: Yellow (easiest), Green, Blue, and Purple (hardest).

When does the NYT Connections reset?

The puzzle resets every day at midnight in your local time zone.

Can I play past NYT Connections puzzles?

Yes! You can access the NYT Games archive through a subscription, or find various fan-made archives online that host previous dates.

What happens if I make four mistakes?

If you use up your four lives (mistakes), the game ends and reveals the correct groupings to you. Try again tomorrow!