NYT Connections Hints, Answers & Clues -
NYT Connections #1108 Tip
One category hides behind a word that means two completely different things.
What Makes NYT Connections #1108 Tricky?
FOXTROT, TOKEN, EMPEROR, and TRENDING land in the same grid — a dance, a game piece, a royal title, and a social media metric — and nothing about their surfaces suggests they belong anywhere near each other.
The editor's trick is a single word with two spellings and two meanings: the decorative shelf above a fire and the deep layer inside the planet are both in play, and neither reading is the obvious one for every word in that group.
Two categories here are genuinely easy once you spot them, but the purple group requires a specific piece of knowledge that most players simply won't have — this one skews hard.
Connections Hints for Every Word in the June 23, 2026 Puzzle
MONEY
Connections hint for MONEY
The paper bills and coins in a Monopoly box — not a general concept here, but a specific physical component of the game.
YANKEES
Connections hint for YANKEES
The New York Yankees baseball team — their players wear a uniform with a mantle, and the franchise is associated with a famous player who bore that name.
HOTEL
Connections hint for HOTEL
The red plastic buildings in Monopoly that replace four houses on a property — a key component found in every standard game box.
FOXTROT
Connections hint for FOXTROT
A smooth ballroom dance with long gliding steps — also the NATO phonetic alphabet letter F, but here it is the dance.
MODERN
Connections hint for MODERN
Modern dance — a broad concert dance form that broke away from classical ballet in the early 20th century.
FIREPLACE
Connections hint for FIREPLACE
The structure built into a wall for burning wood or coal — the mantel (shelf) above it and the mantle (surround) around it are both named after the same root word.
POPULAR
Connections hint for POPULAR
A sorting option on platforms like YouTube or Reddit that surfaces content with the most engagement — not the musical.
DEED
Connections hint for DEED
The property card in Monopoly that proves you own a street or utility — you hand it over when you mortgage the property.
EMPEROR
Connections hint for EMPEROR
A monarch who rules an empire — and one who wears a ceremonial mantle, the long robe-like cloak draped over the shoulders.
FEATURED
Connections hint for FEATURED
A content filter that surfaces hand-picked or promoted items — the tab you see on storefronts and streaming platforms.
TOKEN
Connections hint for TOKEN
The small metal or plastic playing piece in Monopoly — the top hat, the iron, the car — each player picks one at the start.
TAP
Connections hint for TAP
Tap dance — the style where metal plates on the shoes strike the floor to create rhythm — also a faucet, but here it is the dance.
RECENT
Connections hint for RECENT
A sorting option that orders content by upload or post date, newest first — the opposite of oldest first.
SWING
Connections hint for SWING
Swing dance — the energetic partner dance style born from jazz in the 1920s and 30s — also a playground fixture, but here it is the dance.
EARTH
Connections hint for EARTH
The planet we live on — which has a mantle, the thick rocky layer between the crust and the core.
TRENDING
Connections hint for TRENDING
A content filter showing what is gaining rapid attention right now — the tab that surfaces viral or fast-rising posts.
Traps & Misdirects Hints for NYT Connections Puzzle (#1108)
FOXTROT is a ballroom dance, SWING is a jazz-era dance style, and MODERN is a whole genre of concert dance — three dance words in a row feels like a clean group of four. That cluster is only three, not four, and the fourth dance word is hiding behind a meaning that has nothing to do with dancing. Don't lock in three and assume the fourth is obvious.
TOKEN, DEED, and MONEY all appear in a standard Monopoly box — you pass Go, collect MONEY, hold a DEED, and choose a TOKEN — so grouping them together feels automatic. All three do belong to the Monopoly category, but naming three out loud should remind you there is a fourth word in that box you haven't placed yet.
EMPEROR reads as a title of royalty — Napoleon, Augustus, a penguin — and nothing about the word signals a connection to fireplaces or planets. The link here is a specific type of mantle that an emperor wears, which is a completely different sense of the word from the geological layer or the shelf above a hearth.
Connections Hints for June 23, 2026
Yellow Connections Hints
Yellow Category Hint
Four styles of dance, from ballroom to contemporary
Think: Think: studio, stage, jazz shoes
Yellow Category Name
DANCE STYLES
Yellow Category Words
Reveal word 1
FOXTROTReveal word 2
MODERNReveal word 3
SWINGReveal word 4
TAPGreen Connections Hints
Green Category Hint
Physical components you find inside a Monopoly box
Think: Think: open the box, what's inside
Green Category Name
IN A MONOPOLY BOX
Green Category Words
Reveal word 1
DEEDReveal word 2
HOTELReveal word 3
MONEYReveal word 4
TOKENBlue Connections Hints
Blue Category Hint
Tabs or filters for sorting content on websites and apps
Think: Think: YouTube sidebar, feed options
Blue Category Name
CONTENT SORTING OPTIONS ONLINE
Blue Category Words
Reveal word 1
FEATUREDReveal word 2
POPULARReveal word 3
RECENTReveal word 4
TRENDINGPurple Connections Hints
Purple Category Hint
Each one has a mantle or mantel associated with it
Think: Think: cloak, shelf, layer, legacy
Purple Category Name
THINGS WITH MANTLES/MANTELS
Purple Category Words
Reveal word 1
EARTHReveal word 2
EMPERORReveal word 3
FIREPLACEReveal word 4
YANKEESNYT Connections Answers for June 23, 2026
NYT Connections Answers Explained: June 23, 2026
DANCE STYLES
FOXTROT, MODERN, SWING, and TAP are all styles of dance — spanning ballroom, jazz-era partner dancing, concert dance, and percussive floor work.
- FOXTROT
- A smooth ballroom dance developed in the early 20th century, known for its long flowing steps and 4/4 time signature.
- MODERN
- Modern dance is a broad genre that emerged as a rebellion against classical ballet — think Martha Graham and Isadora Duncan — emphasising expression over rigid technique.
- SWING
- Swing dance is the energetic partner dance style that grew out of jazz music in the 1920s and 30s, including Lindy Hop and East Coast Swing.
- TAP
- Tap dance uses metal plates (taps) attached to the heel and toe of the shoe to strike the floor rhythmically, making the dancer's feet into a percussion instrument.
IN A MONOPOLY BOX
DEED, HOTEL, MONEY, and TOKEN are all physical components you find inside a standard Monopoly box — the property cards, the red buildings, the paper currency, and the playing pieces.
- DEED
- Property deed cards in Monopoly represent ownership of a street or utility — you collect rent based on what the deed says and hand it to the bank when you mortgage.
- HOTEL
- The red plastic hotels in Monopoly are the top tier of development on a property — you trade in four houses for one hotel to maximise rent.
- MONEY
- Monopoly money is the colourful paper currency in the box — players start with a set amount and earn or pay it throughout the game.
- TOKEN
- Each player chooses a token — a small playing piece like the top hat, the car, or the iron — to move around the board.
CONTENT SORTING OPTIONS ONLINE
FEATURED, POPULAR, RECENT, and TRENDING are all labels used on websites and apps to sort or surface content — each represents a different algorithm or editorial logic for what you see first.
- FEATURED
- Featured content is hand-picked or promoted by editors or the platform — it appears prominently regardless of how old or popular it is.
- POPULAR
- Popular sorts content by total engagement — views, likes, or downloads — surfacing the all-time or period-best performers.
- RECENT
- Recent orders content by upload or post date, newest first — the default on many feeds before algorithmic sorting took over.
- TRENDING
- Trending surfaces content that is gaining rapid attention right now — not necessarily the most popular overall, but the fastest-rising in a short window.
THINGS WITH MANTLES/MANTELS
EARTH, EMPEROR, FIREPLACE, and YANKEES all have a mantle or mantel associated with them — the geological layer, the ceremonial robe, the decorative shelf, and a legendary player's legacy.
- EARTH
- The Earth's mantle is the thick rocky layer between the thin outer crust and the molten core — it makes up about 84% of the planet's volume.
- EMPEROR
- An emperor wears a mantle — the long ceremonial cloak draped over the shoulders as a symbol of imperial authority, seen in coronation portraits and royal regalia.
- FIREPLACE
- A mantel (also spelled mantle) is the shelf and decorative surround built above and around a fireplace — you put family photos and a clock on the mantelpiece.
- YANKEES
- Mickey Mantle was one of the most celebrated New York Yankees of all time — a Hall of Fame centre fielder whose surname is a homophone of mantle, and whose legacy is described as passing the mantle to future greats.
