Welcome, struggling Connectors, to today’s grid guide. If you can’t make any sense of the tiles today, we have compiled some spoiler-free hints for you. Some of you will likely need more help to get the win, so we’ll also reveal one word from each category as you scroll down the page. This will be followed by the list of themes. Finally, you can find the answers and their explanations. So, let’s dive into the hints, clues, and answers to NYT Connections today (#1,166, August 20, 2026).
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In This Article
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
- TELEPHONE
- APOSTROPHE
- OXFORD
- SERIAL
- HAWAIIAN
- OKINA
- RATHCET
- COMMA
- WHITE
- PIGMENT
- ATOMIC
- DRAGONFLY
- DIAVOLA
- CEDILLA
- MEAT LOVERS
- SOCIAL SECURITY
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,166) August 20, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Different kinds of an Italian delicacy.
- 🟢Green Group: Defined by a number.
- 🔵Blue Group: Similar-looking signs.
- 🟣Purple Group: Starting with animals belonging to a specific zodiac system.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Diavola.
- 🟢Green Group: Atomic.
- 🔵Blue Group: Apostrophe.
- 🟣Purple Group: Dragonfly.
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: Kinds Of Pizza.
- 🟢Green Group: Kinds Of Numbers.
- 🔵Blue Group: Similarly Shaped Typographical Marks.
- 🟣Purple Group: Starting With Chinese Zodiac Animals.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,166) Today (August 20, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Diavola, Hawaiian, Meat Lovers, White. (Kinds Of Pizza)
Diavola: Spicy topping. Hawaiian: Contains pineapple. Meat Lovers: Contains different kinds of meats (like pepperoni, sausage, and ham). White: Pizza without tomato sauce.
- 🟢Green Group: Atomic, Serial, Social Security, Telephone. (Kinds Of Numbers)
Atomic number denotes the number of protons inside the nucleus of an atom. Serial number is used to identify an item. Social Security Number (SSN) in the US is used to track earnings and calculate government benefits. A telephone number is used to make calls.
- 🔵Blue Group: Apostrophe, Cedilla, Comma, Okina. (Similarly Shaped Typographical Marks)
Apostrophe (‘). Cedilla (¸). Comma (,). Okina (ʻ).
- 🟣Purple Group: Dragonfly, Oxford, Pigment, Ratchet. (Starting With Chinese Zodiac Animals)
Dragon-fly. Ox-ford. Pig-ment. Rat-chet.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,165, August 19, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Breeze, Cinch, Picnic, Snap. (Piece Of Cake)
- 🟢Green Group: Blanket, Hide, Mask, Obscure. (Conceal)
- 🔵Blue Group: Base, Basket, Foot, Pickle. (Words Before “Ball” In Sports Names)
- 🟣Purple Group: Ants, Cocoa, Rheo, Seoul. (Homophones Of CGI-Animated Films)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,164 (August 18, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Limousine, Paparazzi, Red Carpet, Velvet Rope. (Seen At A Movie Premiere)
- 🟢Green Group: Petroleum Jelly, Poetic Justice, Practical Joke, Private Jet. (PJs)
- 🔵Blue Group: Basketball, Orangutan, Sweet Potato, Traffic Cone. (Things That Are Orange)
- 🟣Purple Group: Cowboy Coffee, Film Noir, Flyers Mascot, Sandpaper. (Things That Are Gritty)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,163 (August 17, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Huddle, Meet, Teams, Zoom. (Video Call Platforms)
- 🟢Green Group: Formula, Function, Macro, Script. (Spreadsheet Features)
- 🔵Blue Group: Dolly, Johnny, Patsy, Willie. (First Names Of Country Music Legends)
- 🟣Purple Group: Birdie, Cattle, Dogie, Fisheye. (Starting With Pets)
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How did other Connectors do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 2.8 out of 5. This puts it in the medium difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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