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Whoa, how about today’s NYT Connections puzzle? Every once in a while, puzzle publishers decide to go all out and throw us a grid made up entirely of symbols, but usually the symbols are… somewhat recognizable? This one has a very distinct style, but it’s also a real stunner. If you raised your hands today and went looking for answers, I don’t blame you at all.
In a way, it’s easier than it seems, once you realize that the icons are meant to represent simple graphic versions of the clues. But this purple category especially gave me a headache. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers, complete with explanations.
The Times has a login bot, like Wordle’s. Go there after playing to receive a numerical score and have the program analyze your answers. Players registered in the Times Games section can now track their progress, including the number of completed puzzles, win rate, number of times they achieved a perfect score, and their winning streak.
Learn more: Tips, Tricks and Strategies to Help You Win Every Time on NYT Connections
Tips for Today’s Connections Groups
Here are four clues for today’s Connections puzzle groupings, ordered from the easiest yellow group to the difficult (and sometimes weird) purple group.
Yellow group index: Place the bet!
Green group index: Assemble it.
Blue group index: Strike!
Purple group index: Wave it high.
Answers for Today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: Found in a casino.
Green group: Ways of fixing things.
Blue group: Seen in a bowling alley.
Purple group: Flag designs.
Learn more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
Explanation of symbols
If you’re like me, you just want to know what these symbols are! Here’s an easier way to see the meaning of all the symbols.
What do all these symbols mean? We explain.
NYT/Screenshot by CNETTop row, left to right: Horizontal trisection, zipper, dice, score card.
Second row, from left to right: Slot machine, button, bowling ball, circle.
Third row, from left to right: Bowling pins, vertical trisection, cards, laces.
Fourth row, from left to right: Loop, bullets, horizontal bisection, pathway.
The New York Times Connections May 6, 2026 puzzle shows the icons in a slightly more identifiable format once you have solved the puzzle.
NYT/Screenshot by CNETWhat are today’s Connections answers?
The NYT Connections puzzle completed by May 6, 2026.
NYT/Screenshot by CNETYellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is found in a casino. The four answers are cards, tokens, dice and slot machine.
Explanation of the answer: It’s a little hard to tell which is which, but I think the cards are three rows above and three below (it looks like a spread hand of playing cards).
The tokens are two spaces to the right on the bottom row (they look like stacked tokens).
The dice number three towards the right on the top row, showing two ones (snake eyes!).
And the slot machine is second from the bottom of the first row (you can see three symbols appear, plus the lever).
Green words in today’s Connections
The theme is ways of fixing things. The four answers are buckle, button, laces and zipper.
Explanation of the answer: It seems to me that the loop is the first pattern on the bottom horizontal row.
Then the button is the round circle with four holes (very similar to the bowling ball next to it).
The shoelaces icon is four, then one from the bottom (it looks a bit like two pairs of laced eyelets in a shoe).
And the zipper is twice as far right on the top row, where you can imagine it as zipper teeth.
Blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is seen in a bowling alley. The four answers are bowling ball, pins, lane and score card.
Explanation of the answer: It was my favorite! The bowling ball is three up and two down, the circle with three holes (confusing since it’s right next to the button).
There are three pins on the leftmost row (10 small circles arranged in a triangle).
Lane is the rightmost icon on the bottom row (double lines indicate gutter).
And the scorecard is the rightmost image in the top row, which shows the scorecard itself, the mark for a gutterball or miss, and the slash for a spare.
Purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is flag designs. How did we get this without solving the rest of the puzzle?! The four answers are circle, horizontal bisection, horizontal trisection, and vertical trisection.
Explanation of the answer: Circle is the circle, duh, located on the far right in the second row down. (It appears on the Japanese flag, for example.)
The horizontal bisection is the bottom row, three columns above (the Polish flag is one of many that use this design, with different colors above and below the line).
The horizontal trisection is the far-right icon on the top row, as it appears on many flags, such as Germany’s black-red-gold design.
And the vertical trisection icon is two from the left and three from the bottom (easily confused with the bowling alley). Ireland and France are among the flags with vertical trisections. (However, the three divided sections do not appear equal in the NYT puzzle.)
The most difficult connections puzzles
We’ve noted some of the most difficult Connections puzzles so far. (This one might make the list!) Maybe they’ll help you see patterns in future puzzles.
#5: Include “elements you can set”, such as atmosphere, record, table and volleyball.
#4: Included “one in a dozen,” such as the egg, the juror, the month, and the rose.
#3: Included “Screen Streets”, such as Elm, Fear, Jump and Sesame.
#2: Includes “___ power” such as Nap, Plant, Ranger, and Travel.
#1: Include “things that can leak,” like the candidate, faucet, mascara, and nose.