NYT Connections (#1,157) Companion: Hints, Clues, and Answers to Avoid Being Toast Today! (August 11, 2026)

Today’s Connections grid is entirely made up of single-word tiles. The tricky part is that there are some words that seem to go with multiple groups. If you’re confused as well, we’re here to help you out. As you scroll down, you’ll see some general hints to nudge you in the direction of the answers. Next, we’ll give you one word from each category, followed by the list of themes. Finally, you can have the answers and their explanations. Here are all the hints, clues, and answers to NYT Connections today (#1,157, August 11, 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

• TOAST
• AYE
• BRAVO
• SOLD
• BET
• DONE
• HISTORY
• KNOWS
• HARE
• GOING
• THROUGH
• TWICE
• ONCE
• SUNK
• TUNG
• USA

Hints for NYT Connections (#1,157) August 11, 2026

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

• 🟡Yellow Group: Over with.
• 🟢Green Group: Entertainment platforms.
• 🔵Blue Group: Words you hear after a winning bid.
• 🟣Purple Group: Sound like parts of a face.

One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)

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

• 🟡Yellow Group: Done.
• 🟢Green Group: BET.
• 🔵Blue Group: Going.
• 🟣Purple Group: Aye.

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: Doomed.
• 🟢Green Group: Basic Cable Channels.
• 🔵Blue Group: Words In An Auctioneer’s Chant.
• 🟣Purple Group: Homophones Of Facial Features.

Answers to NYT Connections (#1,157) Today (August 11, 2026)

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

• 🟡Yellow Group: Done, Sunk, Through, Toast. (Doomed)

These words are used to refer to ill-fated things. 

• 🟢Green Group: BET, Bravo, History, USA. (Basic Cable Channels)

BET (Owned by Paramount), Bravo (Owned by NBCUniversal Media Group), History Channel (Owned by A+E Global Media), USA Network (Owned by Versant).

• 🔵Blue Group: Going, Once, Sold, Twice. (Words In An Auctioneer’s Chant)

“Going once, going twice, sold!”

• 🟣Purple Group: Aye, Hare, Knows, Tung. (Homophones Of Facial Features)

Aye – Eye. Hare – Hair. Knows – Nose. Tung – Tongue.

Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,155, August 10, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Any Old How, At Random, Helter-Skelter, Willy Nilly. (Haphazardly)
• 🟢Green Group: Mail Delivery, Mobile Ticket, Print-At-Home, Will Call. (Ways To Receive Event Tickets)
• 🔵Blue Group: Balance Due, Bill To, Order Number, Unit Price. (Sections On An Invoice)
• 🟣Purple Group: Billy Goat, Colonel Sanders, Doctor Strange, The Devil. (Famous Goatees)

Answers to NYT Connections #1,155 (August 9, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Change Tack, Course-Correct, Recalibrate, Shift Gear. (Take A Different Approach)
• 🟢Green Group: Caps For Sale, Corduroy, Goodnight Moon, Madeline. (Classic Children’s Books)
• 🔵Blue Group: Buddy Cop, Neo-Noir, Space Opera, Spaghetti Western. (Movie Subgenres)
• 🟣Purple Group: Bad Dream, Escape Room, Jury Duty, Labyrinth. (Things People Try To Get Out Of)

Answers to NYT Connections #1,154 (August 8, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Hot Dog, Hurrah, Whoopee, Yahoo. (Quaint Expressions Of Excitement)
• 🟢Green Group: Couch, Express, Frame, Phrase. (Convey) 
• 🔵Blue Group: Cutie, Easy, Effects, I Owe You. (Words Abbreviated With Letters As Homophones)
• 🟣Purple Group: Belt, Goggles, Pin, Razor. (Safety ___)

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How did other Connectors do today?

NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connection puzzle 2 out of 5. This puts it in the medium difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!