The answers for NYT Connections #411—the puzzle published on Friday, July 26, 2024—include a sound-based purple category that uses homophones of musical instruments. Start with the hints below, then scroll past the spoiler warning for the complete solution.
If you are looking for the archived NYT Connections puzzle from Friday, July 26, 2024, you are looking for Connections #411. The four categories were basic directions, advocating for something, drawbacks, and musical-instrument homophones.
Hints for Connections #411
Try these clues before revealing the solution. They move from the least revealing hint to the most specific.
- Yellow: Look for four words that describe simple movement or orientation.
- Green: Find four verbs meaning to support, recommend, or argue in favor of something.
- Blue: These words can describe a disadvantage, criticism, deduction, or negative mark.
- Purple: Say the remaining words aloud. Their sounds point to four musical instruments.
One-word nudges
If you need a slightly stronger push, try these words—one from each group:
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match- Yellow: DOWN
- Green: BACK
- Blue: CON
- Purple: BASE
Spoiler warning: The complete grid and answers appear below.
NYT Connections answers for Friday, July 26, 2024
The full grid was:
LIAR · CON · BACK · DOWN · SUPPORT · SYMBOL · MINUS · LOOT · CHAMPION · STRIKE · DING · RIGHT · BASE · UP · ENDORSE · LEFT
Yellow: BASIC DIRECTIONS
DOWN · LEFT · RIGHT · UP
These are the four straightforward directional terms in the grid. They can describe movement, position, or orientation.
Rank #2
Green: ADVOCATE FOR
BACK · CHAMPION · ENDORSE · SUPPORT
Each word can mean to publicly support or recommend a person, idea, cause, or proposal. For example, someone might back a candidate, champion a reform, endorse a product, or support a plan.
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CON · DING · MINUS · STRIKE
These words can all indicate something negative. A con is a disadvantage, to ding something is to criticize or penalize it, a minus is a negative factor, and a strike can count as a negative mark or penalty.
This group is easy to overlook because some of the words invite other interpretations. Con, for instance, can suggest a person arguing against something, while ding and strike can suggest physical impacts or penalties. The shared idea is that each can represent a drawback or negative mark.
Purple: INSTRUMENT HOMOPHONES
BASE · LIAR · LOOT · SYMBOL
The final category depends on sound rather than spelling:
| Grid word | Sounds like | Instrument |
|---|---|---|
| BASE | bass | bass |
| LIAR | lyre | lyre |
| LOOT | lute | lute |
| SYMBOL | cymbal | cymbal |
SYMBOL is the especially deceptive entry: it sounds like cymbal, the percussion instrument. The category is therefore not “words that are musical instruments” by spelling. It is “words that sound like the names of musical instruments.”
Why this puzzle was tricky
The first two groups are relatively direct once the directional words and advocacy verbs stand out. The harder work comes from separating the negative words into the “drawback” category and recognizing that the last group is phonetic.
The purple set also creates a spelling trap. None of BASE, LIAR, LOOT, or SYMBOL is written as an instrument name. Reading them aloud reveals bass, lyre, lute, and cymbal. That sound-alike mechanism is what makes the last group particularly difficult to identify without the remaining words.
Want more puzzles after Connections?
Readers who enjoy NYT-style word games may also want to look at Puzzle Mania!, a physical New York Times Games puzzle book featuring Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis, and other puzzle material. It is a broader offline collection for puzzle fans, family game nights, or a gift—not a claim that it contains this exact July 26, 2024 Connections grid. Check the current retailer listing for availability and pricing before purchasing.
About the date
This answer belongs specifically to Friday, July 26, 2024, and is identified as Connections #411. July 26 falls on a different weekday in other years, so an answer labeled simply “July 26” may refer to a different puzzle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which NYT Connections puzzle is this?
The puzzle was Connections #411, published on Friday, July 26, 2024.
What was the purple category in Connections #411?
The purple group was BASE, LIAR, LOOT, and SYMBOL. They sound like bass, lyre, lute, and cymbal.
What were the categories for July 26, 2024?
The four categories were BASIC DIRECTIONS, ADVOCATE FOR, DRAWBACK, and INSTRUMENT HOMOPHONES.
The Bottom Line
Connections #411, from Friday, July 26, 2024, grouped the words as BASIC DIRECTIONS, ADVOCATE FOR, DRAWBACK, and INSTRUMENT HOMOPHONES. The toughest set was BASE, LIAR, LOOT, and SYMBOL, which sound like bass, lyre, lute, and cymbal.
Quick Recap
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