Save Your Streak with these NYT Connections (#1,168) Hints, Clues, and Answers Today (August 22, 2026)

Today’s Connections puzzle got you in a pickle? There’s no need to worry. We’re here to help you out. We’ll get you started with some spoiler-free hints to point you in the right direction. If that’s not enough, you can have one word from each category. Then, we’ll give you the list of themes. Finally, 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 NYT Connections today (#1,168, August 22, 2026).

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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

• BITTER
• SPICE
• MEAN
• WINTER
• HAMMER
• CONE
• PLANE
• JET
• GOLDEN
• SAW
• MIST
• MUSK
• GILMORE
• CHISEL
• WATER
• SHOWER

Hints for NYT Connections (#1,168) August 22, 2026

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

• 🟡Yellow Group: Used while working with wood.
• 🟢Green Group: Share the last word that is commonly associated with a fruit.
• 🔵Blue Group: You choose one of these options while watering your lawn.
• 🟣Purple Group: Popular media titles that mainly star women.

One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)

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

• 🟡Yellow Group: Chisel.
• 🟢Green Group: Bitter.
• 🔵Blue Group: Cone.
• 🟣Purple Group: Gilmore.

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: Carpentry Tools.
• 🟢Green Group: Kinds Of Melon.
• 🔵Blue Group: Garden Hose Settings.
• 🟣Purple Group: ___ Girls Of Pop Culture.

Answers to NYT Connections (#1,168) Today (August 22, 2026)

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

• 🟡Yellow Group: Chisel, Hammer, Plane, Saw. (Carpentry Tools)

These are some of the most common carpentry tools that are used while working with wood.

• 🟢Green Group: Bitter, Musk, Water, Winter. (Kinds Of Melon)

Bitter melon (vegetable). Muskmelon (fruit). Watermelon (fruit). Winter melon (another name for wax gourd). 

• 🔵Blue Group: Cone, Jet, Mist, Shower. (Garden Hose Settings)

These settings on a hose determine how water is sprayed.

• 🟣Purple Group: Gilmore, Golden, Mean, Spice. (___ Girls Of Pop Culture)

Gilmore Girls (TV show). Golden Girls (TV show). Mean Girls (Movie). Spice Girls (Pop group).

Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,167, August 21, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Nutrition, Oxygen, Sleep, Water. (Things Most Animals Need)
• 🟢Green Group: Action, Curtain Up, Places, Showtime. (Calls To Begin A Performance)
• 🔵Blue Group: Comeback, Karate, Sundance, Wimpy. (___ Kids)
• 🟣Purple Group: Blue Moon, Generation, Lifetime, While. (Once In A ___)

Answers to NYT Connections #1,166 (August 20, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Diavola, Hawaiian, Meat Lovers, White. (Kinds Of Pizza)
• 🟢Green Group: Atomic, Serial, Social Security, Telephone. (Kinds Of Numbers)
• 🔵Blue Group: Apostrophe, Cedilla, Comma, Okina. (Similarly Shaped Typographical Marks) 
• 🟣Purple Group: Dragonfly, Oxford, Pigment, Ratchet. (Starting With Chinese Zodiac Animals)

Answers to NYT Connections #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)

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How did other Connectors do today?

NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 1.3 out of 5. This puts it in the easy difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!