NYT Connections #1056
Hints, category titles, and full answers for Saturday, May 2, 2026
Connections Hint #1056 — May 2, 2026
Connections Walkthrough — May 2, 2026
A breakdown of every category from the May 2, 2026 puzzle, the trap words designed to fool players, and what made it tricky.
Group-by-group breakdown (easiest to hardest)
- STAGED PERFORMANCES
You can group BALLET, MUSICAL, OPERA, and PLAY as things audiences attend with programs and curtains.
- CLAIRVOYANT
You can spot EXTRASENSORY, PSYCHIC, and TELEPATHIC first, then add MENTAL by the mind-reading angle.
- U.S. CABINET DEPARTMENTS
You can recognize EDUCATION, INTERIOR, STATE, and TREASURY as federal departments rather than ordinary nouns.
- STARTING WITH NEWSPAPER NAMES
You need to notice GLOBE, HERALD, POST, and TIMES hidden at the beginnings of the remaining entries.
The trap words that fool most players
Words placed in this puzzle to make one category look like another.
- STATElooks like · CLAIRVOYANTactually · U.S. CABINET DEPARTMENTS
It pairs naturally with MENTAL, which can lure you toward the mind-related set.
- INTERIORlooks like · STAGED PERFORMANCESactually · U.S. CABINET DEPARTMENTS
Stage sets often depict interiors, so it can feel theatrical before the cabinet list clicks.
What makes this puzzle clever
The purple set hides newspaper mastheads at the front of longer, everyday terms.
About this puzzle
This is the complete solution to NYT Connections puzzle #1056, originally published on Saturday, May 2, 2026. The four categories ranged from CLAIRVOYANT (the easiest, yellow group) through STARTING WITH NEWSPAPER NAMES (the trickiest, purple group, which usually involves wordplay or hidden patterns).
You can browse our complete Connections archive for every past puzzle since the game launched in June 2023, or jump to today's puzzle for the latest hints.