NYT Connections #1056
NYT Connections Deep Dive: May 2, 2026 (TIMES TABLES)
This archive page preserves the NYT Connections thinking guide for May 2, 2026. Use it to review the solving approach while the final answers stay protected below.
Current daily puzzle
Updated for
Guidance bridge
This archive guide reviews the completed Connections board for May 2, 2026. Use it to revisit each category, the group logic, and the final answer set after the puzzle is solved.
Archive Snapshot
- Date
- May 2, 2026
- Groups
- 4 color groups
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Hardest word
- TIMES TABLES
- Answers
- Answers included below
Why "TIMES TABLES" is the hardest word in today's NYT Connections puzzle
This purple-group entry is the least transparent because the pattern depends on the newspaper-name prefix, not the surface meaning of the phrase.
As a puzzle enthusiast, I treat the hardest word as the key to the board because it usually reveals the grouping pattern hiding underneath.
Date banner
May 2, 2026
How to Start Today's Connections
Start by looking for the group that feels least ambiguous, then use the remaining words to test more abstract relationships. Keep any spelling-based or reference-based theory tentative until the leftovers still make sense.
Connections Archive: Category Clue
Start with a general clue before viewing color-level prompts.
Compare plain-meaning relationships with less direct patterns. If a group feels close but not exact, hold it as a hypothesis rather than submitting immediately.
Connections Archive: Yellow Group
What kind of relationship should you test first?
Think about whether these words share a similar kind of human quality, ability, or perception.
Connections Archive: Green Group
What other shared dimension could these words have?
Look for a possible shared setting or activity, but check that all four words fit the same frame.
Connections Archive: Blue Group
Does this set depend on a hidden layer of meaning?
Consider whether some words are being used in a more formal sense than they first appear.
Connections Archive: Purple Group
Check whether the pattern lives in the word form itself.
If meanings stop lining up, inspect word form, beginnings, endings, or references.
Connections Archive: Grouping Prompts
Use these questions before submitting a set.
- Which four words form the most literal group with the fewest exceptions?
- Which words have broad meanings that could belong to more than one category?
- After removing an obvious group, do the remaining words create a cleaner pattern?
- Is one group connected by prefixes, spelling, or references rather than definitions?
Connections Archive: Self-Check
Use these checks to avoid overconfident guesses.
- Can all four words in your group share the same exact relationship?
- Are you using one word in a different sense than the other three?
- Does your group leave behind four words that also make a coherent category?
- Have you saved the most wordplay-heavy set for last?
What Matters in This Puzzle
Prefer exact relationships over vibes
Connections often punishes categories that are only emotionally or loosely related. A strong group should let you explain all four words with the same sentence.
Broad words are dangerous
If a word has many meanings, keep it flexible. Do not lock it into a group until the other three words confirm the same sense.
The hardest group may not be semantic
When meanings stop helping, inspect spelling, prefixes, suffixes, and references. Treat any pattern as provisional until it explains all four words cleanly.
Post-game archive analysis
May 2, 2026 NYT Connections Category Breakdown
This archive page reviews the completed board category by category. Each group below explains the shared logic and why every word belongs, which gives the page a different purpose from the live hint page.
yellow group
Clairvoyant
The category works because all four entries share the same relationship: clairvoyant. The solve depends on applying that exact logic to every word, not just finding a loose association.
EXTRASENSORY
EXTRASENSORY belongs here because it supports the group label "Clairvoyant". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
MENTAL
MENTAL belongs here because it supports the group label "Clairvoyant". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
PSYCHIC
PSYCHIC belongs here because it supports the group label "Clairvoyant". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
TELEPATHIC
TELEPATHIC belongs here because it supports the group label "Clairvoyant". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
green group
Staged Performances
The category works because all four entries share the same relationship: staged performances. The solve depends on applying that exact logic to every word, not just finding a loose association.
BALLET
BALLET belongs here because it supports the group label "Staged Performances". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
MUSICAL
MUSICAL belongs here because it supports the group label "Staged Performances". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
OPERA
OPERA belongs here because it supports the group label "Staged Performances". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
PLAY
PLAY belongs here because it supports the group label "Staged Performances". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
blue group
U.S. Cabinet Departments
The category works because all four entries share the same relationship: u.s. cabinet departments. The solve depends on applying that exact logic to every word, not just finding a loose association.
EDUCATION
EDUCATION belongs here because it supports the group label "U.S. Cabinet Departments". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
INTERIOR
INTERIOR belongs here because it supports the group label "U.S. Cabinet Departments". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
STATE
STATE belongs here because it supports the group label "U.S. Cabinet Departments". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
TREASURY
TREASURY belongs here because it supports the group label "U.S. Cabinet Departments". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
purple group
Starting With Newspaper Names
The category works because all four entries share the same relationship: starting with newspaper names. The solve depends on applying that exact logic to every word, not just finding a loose association.
GLOBETROTTER
GLOBETROTTER belongs here because it supports the group label "Starting With Newspaper Names". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
HERALDRY
HERALDRY belongs here because it supports the group label "Starting With Newspaper Names". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
POST-IT
POST-IT belongs here because it supports the group label "Starting With Newspaper Names". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
TIMES TABLES
TIMES TABLES belongs here because it supports the group label "Starting With Newspaper Names". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
How This Connections Archive Puzzle Works
The important skill in Connections is not simply spotting a possible relationship; it is testing whether that relationship survives all four words. A plausible three-word set can still be wrong if the fourth word requires a different sense. The safer method is to solve the most literal group first, then use the leftover words to reveal whether a trickier pattern is present.
Caution Notes
Do not submit a three-word idea
If only three words fit cleanly, the category probably is not ready. Find the fourth word before committing.
Beware of leftovers
A group that looks right can still break the puzzle if the leftover words become incoherent. Always check the remaining board.
Previous and Next Day
Compare today's grouping logic with neighboring guides before you move on.