Connections answers for Thursday, November 12, 2026
Below: the Melio Connections puzzle for Thursday, November 12, 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 Thursday, November 12, 2026 below are the Melio answers, not the NYT ones.
The 16 words
SPRITE
EAST
ROOK
KNIGHT
FANTA
PEPSI
NORTH
SOUTH
CRIMSON
WEST
COKE
PAWN
BISHOP
CHERRY
RUBY
SCARLET
Hint ladder
Spoiler warning
Stage 1: letter spread
Today's 16 words are spread across the alphabet. The most common starting letters are S (3×), C (3×), P (2×), R (2×).
Stage 2: yellow theme
The yellow group's theme is "Compass points". 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: NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST.
NORTHSOUTHEASTWEST
Stage 4: all four themes
The four categories, in order from easiest to hardest, are: Yellow (easiest): "Compass points" · Green: "Sodas" · Blue: "Shades of red" · Purple (trickiest): "Chess pieces".
Stage 5: full solution
Below is the full grouping; each row is one category.