Below: the Melio Connections puzzle for Monday, June 29, 2026, a progressive hint ladder so you can work toward the solution without spoiling it, and the full color-coded grouping if you want the answer outright.
Heads up: Melio’s Connections grids are independently authored. The answers for Monday, June 29, 2026 below are the Melio answers, not the NYT ones.
The 16 words
STAPLER
TAPE
SAND
LOTUS
SCORPION
HEEL
CRAB
ELBOW
WAVE
FOOT
CRANE
DRAGON
PEN
SHELL
RULER
EYE
Hint ladder
Spoiler warning
Stage 1: letter spread
Today's 16 words are spread across the alphabet. The most common starting letters are S (4×), C (2×), E (2×), P (1×).
Stage 2: yellow theme
The yellow group's theme is "Office supplies". That's the easiest grouping; pick the four words that fit and you're a quarter of the way through.
Stage 3: yellow group reveal
The four yellow words are: STAPLER, PEN, TAPE, RULER.
STAPLERPENTAPERULER
Stage 4: all four themes
The four categories, in order from easiest to hardest, are: Yellow (easiest): "Office supplies" · Green: "Yoga or martial arts moves" · Blue: "Body parts (also verbs)" · Purple (trickiest): "Things on a beach".
Stage 5: full solution
Below is the full grouping; each row is one category.