NYT Connections (#1,148) Hints, Clues, and Answers to End the Week with a Win (August 2, 2026)

It’s Sunday, which means you have plenty of time to solve today’s Connections puzzle. However, if you’re already out of ideas, you’ve landed on the right page. As you scroll down, you’ll see some spoiler-free hints to nudge you in the right direction. Then, we’ll give you one word from each category, followed by the list of themes. If you’re still not able to get the win, the answers and their explanations will be waiting for you at the end of the page. Here are all the hints, clues, and answers to NYT Connections today (#1,148, August 2, 2026).

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What is Connections?

After Wordle, Connections is the New York Times’ most popular word game. The rules are simple. You need to find words with a common theme and group them into 4 groups of 4. The 16-word grid is designed with an increasing level of difficulty. The Yellow group is the easiest to spot, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple. The misdirects and red herrings can trip you up, but they also make the puzzle more fun. You can play Connections in the NYT Games app or on the NYT website.

Some tips to solve Connections

Look for the obvious patterns: Not every category in the puzzle is confusing. The Yellow and Green category words are relatively easy to spot. However, if something seems too obvious, it could be a red herring. Typically, the first two categories comprise verbs and adjectives. The misdirects are often nouns.

Double-check your submissions: ‘Do not overthink’ is usually a good tip for solving most puzzles, but it doesn’t really apply to Connections. Before submitting a set of words, you should always check whether they fit somewhere else too.

Hit a dead end? Use the shuffle button: The shuffle button at the bottom of the grid exists for a reason. Placing the words in different positions can spark new connections. Think of it as a mental refresh. New patterns will emerge, and you may be able to find a breakthrough.

Tackle the Purple category with extra caution: The Connections team is known to serve up the toughest and most unexpected words for the Purple category. Here are some of the common tropes that you should look out for:

• Homophones (For example: ‘Where’, ‘Wear’, ‘Ware’, and ‘Weir’)
• Words within words (For example: ‘Slip’, ‘Hear’, ‘Keyes’, and ‘Undiagnosed’ could be ‘Words containing parts of the face’)
• Words minus a letter (For example: ‘Anther’, ‘Easel’, ‘Hark’, and ‘Lama’ could be ‘Animals minus starting letter’)
• Words preceded or followed by another word (For example: ‘Face’, ‘Sports’, ‘Note’, and ‘Year’ could be ‘____ Book’)

Here’s your grid for today

• LIKE
• AIRPLANE
• VIA
• FLAX
• À LA
• SO
• BY
• DARK
• PER
• LORD
• WELL
• ASEA
• THROUGH
• BEAST
• OLGA
• ACTUALLY

Hints for NYT Connections (#1,148) August 2, 2026

Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.

• 🟡Yellow Group: Words that are used to get rid of any silence while speaking. 
• 🟢Green Group: ‘Using’.
• 🔵Blue Group: Succeeded by a common word.
• 🟣Purple Group: You land in these places when you’re in the US.

One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)

Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.

• 🟡Yellow Group: Actually.
• 🟢Green Group: By.
• 🔵Blue Group: Airplane.
• 🟣Purple Group: Asea.

List of Themes (Major Spoilers)

Maybe getting to know the common themes among the words will help you spot them faster. Here are all the categories for today.

• 🟡Yellow Group: Filler Words. 
• 🟢Green Group: By Means Of.
• 🔵Blue Group: ___ Mode.
• 🟣Purple Group: U.S. Airport Codes Plus Starting Letter.

Answers to NYT Connections (#1,148) Today (August 2, 2026)

Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.

• 🟡Yellow Group: Actually, Like, So, Well. (Filler Words)

This is a pretty straightforward category comprised of words that are used to fill gaps in speech.

• 🟢Green Group: By, Per, Through, Via. (By Means Of)

Again, a straightforward category with words that mean ‘by way of’ or ‘by means of’.

• 🔵Blue Group: Airplane, Beast, Dark, À la. (___ Mode)

Airplane mode – Phone setting to restrict connectivity. Beast mode – Intense or aggressive. Dark mode – Light setting for your phone’s screen. À la mode – Fashionable.

• 🟣Purple Group: Asea, Flax, Lord, Olga. (U.S. Airport Codes Plus Starting Letter)

A-SEA (Seattle-Tacoma International Airport). F-LAX (Los Angeles International Airport). L-ORD (O’Hare International Airport). O-LGA (LaGuardia Airport).

Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,147, August 1, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Comforter, Sham, Sheet, Throw. (Bedding)
• 🟢Green Group: Bale, Jordan, Phoenix, Waltz. (Oscar-Winning Actors Since 2010)
• 🔵Blue Group: Bore, Countersink, Drill, Ream. (Perform Some Hole Machining Operations)
• 🟣Purple Group: Boulevard, Bundle, Loafer, Rolls-Royce. (Starting With Bread Shapes)

Answers to NYT Connections #1,146 (July 31, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Fashion, Model, Mold, Shape. (Construct)
• 🟢Green Group: Dinosaur, Mushroom, Plumber, Princess. (Super Mario Figures)
• 🔵Blue Group: Dapple, Jdate, Slime, Spear. (Fruits Plus Starting Letter) 
• 🟣Purple Group: Cheerios, Fungus, Gleek, Joystick. (Starting With Merriments)

Answers to NYT Connections #1,145 (July 30, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Fair, Good, Just, Right. (Virtuous)
• 🟢Green Group: Beer Pong, Bingo, Juggling, Pool. (Activities With Multiple Balls)
• 🔵Blue Group: Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, Viking. (Cruise Lines)
• 🟣Purple Group: Dot, Mark, Money, Nose. (On The ___, To Mean ‘Precise’)

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How did other solvers do today?

NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connection puzzle 2.5 out of 5. This puts it in the medium difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!