Today’s Connections puzzle should not present any significant problems to those who are familiar with pop culture. If you’re not in that camp, you will need some additional help. The good news is that we’ve got your back. As you scroll down, you’ll see some general hints to nudge you in the direction of the answers. Then, you’ll find one word from each category, followed by the list of themes. The answers and their explanations will be waiting for you at the end of the page. So, without further ado, here are all the hints, clues, and answers to today’s NYT Connections (#1,171, August 25, 2026).
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In This Article
What is Connections?
Connections is one of the most popular word games from The New York Times, only trailing behind Wordle. The rules of the game are simple. You are presented with a 16-word grid where you’re supposed to find the entries that share something in common. There are a total of 4 groups, each consisting of 4 words, that you must find. The Yellow group is the easiest to spot, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple. Sometimes, there are a couple of red herrings to throw you off and make the puzzle more interesting. You can play Connections in the NYT Games app or on the NYT website.
Here’s your grid for today
- SUPERFICIAL
- HYPERSPACE
- HARLEM SHAKE
- LICKETY-SPLIT
- RUNNING MAN
- TRAFFIC CONE
- TIME WARP
- LONG WALK
- ONE-DIMENSIONAL
- PARALLEL UNIVERSE
- GREEN MILE
- INSIDE SCOOP
- COSMETIC
- SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
- TELEPORTATION
- SKIN-DEEP
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,171) August 25, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Shallow.
- 🟢Green Group: Concepts that are exclusive to a literary genre.
- 🔵Blue Group: Movie adaptations of books by a famous horror author.
- 🟣Purple Group: The last words of these entries are found in a dessert menu.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Cosmetic.
- 🟢Green Group: Hyperspace.
- 🔵Blue Group: Green Mile.
- 🟣Purple Group: Harlem Shake.
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: Surface-Level.
- 🟢Green Group: Sci-Fi Phenomena.
- 🔵Blue Group: Stephen King Film Adaptation, With ‘The’.
- 🟣Purple Group: Ending In Ice Cream Orders.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,171) Today (August 25, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Cosmetic, One-Dimensional, Skin-Deep, Superficial. (Surface-Level)
These words are used to describe something that doesn’t have any depth to it.
- 🟢Green Group: Hyperspace, Parallel Universe, Teleportation, Time Warp. (Sci-Fi Phenomena)
Hyperspace: A higher plane where starships travel faster than the speed of light. Parallel Universe: An alternative reality. Teleportation: Travelling from one place to another instantly using a portal. Time Warp: An aberration in the flow of time.
- 🔵Blue Group: Green Mile, Long Walk, Running Man, Shawshank Redemption. (Stephen King Film Adaptation, With ‘The’)
The Green Mile (1999). The Long Walk (2025). The Running Man (1987). The Shawshank Redemption (1994).
- 🟣Purple Group: Harlem Shake, Inside Scoop, Lickety-Split, Traffic Cone. (Ending In Ice Cream Orders)
Ice Cream Shake (Drink/Slush). Ice Cream Scoop (Served in a cup). Banana Split (Contains ice cream and banana). Ice Cream Cone (Served in an edible cone).
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,170, August 24, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Mullet, Pike, Sole, Tang. (Fish)
- 🟢Green Group: Arch, Chief, Main, Prime. (Principal)
- 🔵Blue Group: Face, Heel, Jobber, Kayfabe. (Pro-Wrestling Lingo)
- 🟣Purple Group: Beset, Deserve, Ex-Love, Eyelet. (Letter Homophone Plus Tennis Term)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,169 (August 23, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Powder Keg, Time Bomb, Tinderbox, Volcano. (Potentially Explosive Things)
- 🟢Green Group: Antifreeze, Bazaar, Skiing, Vacuum. (Double Vowels)
- 🔵Blue Group: Home Fries, Potato Battery, Vichyssoise, Vodka. (Made With Potatoes)
- 🟣Purple Group: Baking Soda, Club Soda, Hydrogen Peroxide, Vinegar. (Household Stain Removers)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,168 (August 22, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Chisel, Hammer, Plane, Saw. (Carpentry Tools)
- 🟢Green Group: Bitter, Musk, Water, Winter. (Kinds Of Melon)
- 🔵Blue Group: Cone, Jet, Mist, Shower. (Garden Hose Settings)
- 🟣Purple Group: Gilmore, Golden, Mean, Spice. (___ Girls Of Pop Culture)
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How did other solvers do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 2.3 out of 5. This puts it in the medium difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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