NYT Connections Hints, Answers & Clues -
The hardest group sounds like geometry homework, not a puzzle.
Written by Vaibhav RajputConnections Puzzle #1060 — May 6, 2026
CHIPS, LACES, LANE, and CIRCLE sit in the same grid — words that feel like they belong to completely different days of the week, let alone the same puzzle.
The editor's main trick is burying one category inside vocabulary so technical and unfamiliar that most players will stare at those words and assume they must belong somewhere obvious.
Yellow and blue are unusually generous here — two groups should fall quickly — but green and especially purple will slow almost everyone down.
NYT Connections Words: Hints & Clues for May 6, 2026
Here are the 16 words for the Wednesday, May 6, 2026 NYT Connections puzzle (#1060). Each word has a specific hint or clue hiding in its meaning – tap any word before you guess to see its NYT Connections hint and figure out which words belong together.
HORIZONTAL TRISECTION
Connections hint for HORIZONTAL TRISECTION
A flag design divided into three horizontal bands — like the French tricolore laid on its side.
ZIPPER
Connections hint for ZIPPER
A fastener with interlocking metal or plastic teeth pulled together by a slider — used on jackets, bags, and trousers.
DICE
Connections hint for DICE
The small numbered cubes rolled in casino games — also used in board games, but here the casino context is what matters.
SCORECARD
Connections hint for SCORECARD
The sheet used to track frame-by-frame scores in a bowling game — specific to the alley, not a general sports term.
SLOT MACHINE
Connections hint for SLOT MACHINE
The coin-operated gambling machine with spinning reels — one of the most iconic fixtures of any casino floor.
BUTTON
Connections hint for BUTTON
A small disc pushed through a buttonhole to fasten clothing — not a push button or a belly button, a clothing fastener.
BOWLING BALL
Connections hint for BOWLING BALL
The heavy perforated ball rolled down the lane to knock over pins — unmistakably specific to bowling.
CIRCLE
Connections hint for CIRCLE
A flag design featuring a circular shape — Japan's flag is the most famous example of a circle as the central design element.
BOWLING PINS
Connections hint for BOWLING PINS
The ten white targets arranged in a triangle at the end of the lane — what the bowling ball is aimed at.
VERTICAL TRISECTION
Connections hint for VERTICAL TRISECTION
A flag design divided into three vertical bands — like the French tricolore in its standard orientation.
CARDS
Connections hint for CARDS
Playing cards used in casino table games like poker and blackjack — the standard deck of 52.
LACES
Connections hint for LACES
Cords threaded through eyelets to fasten shoes — pulled tight and tied in a bow.
BUCKLE
Connections hint for BUCKLE
A metal or plastic clasp with a frame and prong used to fasten belts, straps, and bags.
CHIPS
Connections hint for CHIPS
The round tokens used in place of cash at casino tables — stacked, bet, and exchanged at the cashier.
HORIZONTAL BISECTION
Connections hint for HORIZONTAL BISECTION
A flag design split into exactly two horizontal halves — like the flag of Poland, red and white.
LANE
Connections hint for LANE
The long narrow strip of polished wood in a bowling alley down which the ball is rolled toward the pins.
Traps and misdirects
The geometry of all the three words above might trick your brain into confidently grouping them in the same group, but if that was the case a fourth word should have been there in the grid to share the same shape but since that is missing here, this grouping is not the one you should head towards especially because all of them have their own categories.
Regular players of this game might know you can never predict a curveball that NYT connections might throw and this exact mindset might trick your brain into grouping HORIZONTAL TRISECTION and SLOT MACHINE together since they visually look the same and probably add in HORIZONTAL BISECTION because it kind of aligns with the image here but this thought process is detrimental here and is not going to yield desirable results.
Connections Hints for May 6, 2026
Each category is independent. Reveal only what you need.
Yellow — Easiest
See hint
Objects you would find on a casino floor
Think: Think: gambling, chips, tables
See group name
FOUND IN A CASINO
See words
Reveal word 1
SLOT MACHINEReveal word 2
CARDSReveal word 3
DICEReveal word 4
CHIPSGreen — Moderate
See hint
Methods used to close or secure clothing and bags
Think: Think: shoes, jackets, belts
See group name
WAYS TO FASTEN THINGS
See words
Reveal word 1
ZIPPERReveal word 2
BUTTONReveal word 3
LACESReveal word 4
BUCKLEBlue — Hard
See hint
Things you would see inside a bowling alley
Think: Think: pins, scoring, the floor
See group name
SEEN IN A BOWLING ALLEY
See words
Reveal word 1
SCORECARDReveal word 2
BOWLING BALLReveal word 3
BOWLING PINSReveal word 4
LANEPurple — Hardest
See hint
Technical terms for patterns used on national flags
Think: Think: stripes, shapes, layout
See group name
FLAG DESIGNS
See words
Reveal word 1
HORIZONTAL TRISECTIONReveal word 2
CIRCLEReveal word 3
VERTICAL TRISECTIONReveal word 4
HORIZONTAL BISECTIONNYT Connections Answers for May 6, 2026
NYT Connections Answers Explained: May 6, 2026
FOUND IN A CASINO
SLOT MACHINE, CARDS, DICE, and CHIPS are all things you find on a casino floor — the machines, the table game tools, and the currency of play.
- SLOT MACHINE
- The coin-operated gambling machine with spinning reels is one of the defining fixtures of any casino.
- CARDS
- Playing cards are used in virtually every casino table game — poker, blackjack, baccarat, and more.
- DICE
- Dice are rolled in casino games like craps — the numbered cubes are as central to gambling as cards.
- CHIPS
- Casino chips are the round tokens players use instead of cash at the tables — you buy them in, bet them, and cash them out.
WAYS TO FASTEN THINGS
ZIPPER, BUTTON, LACES, and BUCKLE are all methods of fastening — closing clothing, bags, or straps so they stay shut or secure.
- ZIPPER
- A zipper fastens by interlocking two rows of teeth with a sliding pull — common on jackets, trousers, and bags.
- BUTTON
- A button fastens by passing a small disc through a corresponding hole in the fabric — the classic clothing closure.
- LACES
- Laces are cords threaded through eyelets on shoes or boots, pulled tight and tied to hold the shoe on the foot.
- BUCKLE
- A buckle is a metal or plastic clasp used to fasten belts, shoe straps, and bag straps — secured by threading through a frame.
SEEN IN A BOWLING ALLEY
SCORECARD, BOWLING BALL, BOWLING PINS, and LANE are all things you encounter inside a bowling alley — the equipment, the surface, and the record-keeping.
- SCORECARD
- The scorecard tracks each player's frame-by-frame score through the game — strikes, spares, and totals.
- BOWLING BALL
- The heavy ball with finger holes that players roll down the lane — the central piece of equipment in the sport.
- BOWLING PINS
- The ten white pins arranged in a triangular formation at the far end of the lane — the targets the ball is aimed at.
- LANE
- The long narrow strip of polished wood down which the ball is rolled — a standard bowling alley has many lanes side by side.
FLAG DESIGNS
HORIZONTAL TRISECTION, CIRCLE, VERTICAL TRISECTION, and HORIZONTAL BISECTION are all terms used to describe the geometric layout of national flag designs — how the flag is divided or what shape dominates it.
- HORIZONTAL TRISECTION
- A flag divided into three horizontal bands of equal or near-equal size — Germany's black, red, and gold flag is a well-known example.
- CIRCLE
- A flag design whose central or defining element is a circular shape — Japan's flag, a red circle on white, is the most recognisable example.
- VERTICAL TRISECTION
- A flag divided into three vertical bands — France's blue, white, and red tricolore is the most famous example of this layout.
- HORIZONTAL BISECTION
- A flag divided into exactly two horizontal halves — Poland's flag, with a white upper half and red lower half, follows this design.
