NYT Connections (#1,161) Hints and Answers to Ace the Puzzle Today! (August 15, 2026)

Can’t find a breakthrough in today’s Connections puzzle? Don’t worry, we’re here to help. We’ll get you started with some spoiler-free hints to nudge you in the right direction. If that doesn’t work, we’ll give you one word from each category, followed by the list of themes. Finally, we’ll reveal the answers and their explanation. So, without further ado, here are all the hints, clues, and answers to NYT Connections today (#1,161, August 15, 2026)

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What is Connections?

The New York Times has a thriving online word game section, with Connections being the second-most-played title behind the crown jewel, Wordle. The rules of this game are simple – you need to find 4 groups comprising 4 words each in a 16-word grid. The words in each group are united by a common theme. The Yellow group is the easiest one to spot, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple (toughest). Sometimes, there are red herrings and misdirects in the grid to throw you off your game, so don’t take your thinking cap off at any time! Ready to lock in? You can play Connections in the NYT Games app or on the NYT website.

Here’s your grid for today

• GRINCH
• BEANSTALK
• STAGE
• LANYARD
• HIGHTAIL
• LEG
• SOUNDTRACK
• HOTFOOT
• BEAT
• STRETCH
• FRIED
• CHAMOMILE
• SPENT
• EYESHADOW
• PHASE
• WORN OUT

Hints for NYT Connections (#1,161) August 15, 2026

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

• 🟡Yellow Group: Tired.
• 🟢Green Group: Parts of a process.
• 🔵Blue Group: Ending in units of measurement.
• 🟣Purple Group: Ending in words that describe closely following someone without them knowing about it.

One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)

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

• 🟡Yellow Group: Beat.
• 🟢Green Group: Leg.
• 🔵Blue Group: Chamomile.
• 🟣Purple Group: Beanstalk.

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: Exhausted.
• 🟢Green Group: Segment.
• 🔵Blue Group: Ending In Units Of Length.
• 🟣Purple Group: Ending In Synonyms For Follow Secretly.

Answers to NYT Connections (#1,161) Today (August 15, 2026)

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

• 🟡Yellow Group: Beat, Fried, Spent, Worn Out. (Exhausted)

You use these words to describe your state when you’re exhausted.

• 🟢Green Group: Leg, Phase, Stage, Stretch. (Segment)

These words are used to describe a part of a process or a segment of a larger thing.

• 🔵Blue Group: Chamomile, Grinch, Hotfoot, Lanyard. (Ending In Units Of Length)

Chamo-mile, Gr-inch, Hot-foot, Lan-yard.

• 🟣Purple Group: Beanstalk, Eyeshadow, Hightail, Soundtrack. (Ending In Synonyms For Follow Secretly) 

Bean-stalk, Eye-shadow, High-tail, Sound-track.

Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,160, August 14, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Bumblebee, Caution Tape, Charlie Brown, Wolverine. (Black-and-Yellow)
• 🟢Green Group: Bubble, Echo Chamber, Hivemind, Silo. (Places Where Everyone Thinks The Same Ways)
• 🔵Blue Group: Bristol Board, Dip Pen, India Ink, Straightedge. (Comic Book Artist’s Tools)
• 🟣Purple Group: Bass Ale, Citgo, Delta Airlines, Google Drive. (Triangle Logos)

Answers to NYT Connections #1,159 (August 13, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Carry On, Continue, Make It, Persist. (Persevere)
• 🟢Green Group: Creep, Ease, Edge, Inch. (Move Slowly (Up To))
• 🔵Blue Group: Checked Bags, Lounge, Miles, Upgrade. (Airline Status Perks)
• 🟣Purple Group: Comfort, Feet, Shoulder, Turkey. (“Cold” Things, In Idioms)

Answers to NYT Connections #1,158 (August 12, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Foster, Harbor, Maintain, Nurse. (Hold Onto, As A Feeling)
• 🟢Green Group: Bull, Green, Poison Dart, Tree. (Kinds Of Frogs)
• 🔵Blue Group: Benes, Bing, Lemon, Scott. (NBC Sitcom Surnames)
• 🟣Purple Group: Fine Print, Goodbye, Great White, Okayama. (Starting With Affirmative Responses)

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How did other Connectors do today?

NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 1.8 out of 5. This puts it in the hard difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!