NEW YORK — NYT Connections puzzle No. 1,066 challenged word lovers Monday with a clever mix of winged creatures, legendary filmmakers, morning brews and classic "man" phrases, as millions raced to group the 16 words before the midnight reset.

The New York Times' popular categorization game continues delivering daily brain-teasers that blend vocabulary, pop culture and lateral thinking. For Monday, May 12, 2026, the solution rewarded sharp pattern recognition with satisfying "aha" moments across four increasingly difficult categories.

Today's Connections Answers (#1066)

🟨 Yellow (Easiest): Birds of Prey EAGLE, FALCON, HAWK, OWL

🟩 Green: Acclaimed Film Directors NOLAN, SCORSESE, SPIELBERG, TARANTINO

🟦 Blue: Types of Coffee Drinks AMERICANO, CAPPUCCINO, ESPRESSO, LATTE

🟪 Purple (Hardest): ___ Man CAVE, IRON, PAC, STAN

The 16 words in Monday's grid were: EAGLE, LATTE, NOLAN, OWL, CAPPUCCINO, HAWK, SCORSESE, FALCON, ESPRESSO, TARANTINO, IRON, SPIELBERG, AMERICANO, STAN, CAVE, PAC.

Helpful hints before the full reveal

Players who prefer progressive clues received these category nudges:

Yellow: Soaring predators

Green: Behind the camera legends

Blue: Café menu staples

Purple: Followed by a famous "man"

Many solvers nailed the yellow........

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