NYT Connections #1062
Hints, category titles, and full answers for Friday, May 8, 2026
Connections Hint #1062 — May 8, 2026
Connections Walkthrough — May 8, 2026
A breakdown of every category from the May 8, 2026 puzzle, the trap words designed to fool players, and what made it tricky.
Group-by-group breakdown (easiest to hardest)
- CANOODLING
You can spot the cluster of jokey phrases for kissing before worrying about shapes or hidden endings.
- UNEXPECTED PLACES TO BE "OUT OF"
You can test each word after “out of” and find four familiar phrases quickly.
- FIVE-SIDED THINGS
You can group the remaining physical items by noticing each has five sides or edges.
- ENDING IN CANDY BRANDS MINUS "S"
You need to inspect word endings, where WHOPPER, NERD, MENTO, and MOUND point to sweets minus S.
The trap words that fool most players
Words placed in this puzzle to make one category look like another.
- HOME PLATElooks like · UNEXPECTED PLACES TO BE "OUT OF"actually · FIVE-SIDED THINGS
You might think of being called out there, but its outline is the key.
- LEFT FIELDlooks like · FIVE-SIDED THINGSactually · UNEXPECTED PLACES TO BE "OUT OF"
Its baseball link tempts you toward HOME PLATE, but it completes an idiom.
- PITCHER'S MOUNDlooks like · FIVE-SIDED THINGSactually · ENDING IN CANDY BRANDS MINUS "S"
Its baseball setting pulls you toward HOME PLATE, but the ending matters instead.
What makes this puzzle clever
The puzzle mixes surface-theme bait with two phrase/ending mechanisms, so you benefit from checking both meanings and spelling.
About this puzzle
This is the complete solution to NYT Connections puzzle #1062, originally published on Friday, May 8, 2026. The four categories ranged from CANOODLING (the easiest, yellow group) through ENDING IN CANDY BRANDS MINUS "S" (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.