Stuck on today’s Connections grid? You’re not the only one. Puzzle #1157 hides a couple of sneaky red herrings that trip up even regular players.
The short version: today’s four groups cover words for being doomed, basic cable channels, phrases from an auctioneer’s chant, and words that sound like parts of your face. Keep reading for hints first, then the full answers below.
What Is NYT Connections?
Connections is the New York Times’ daily word-grouping game, created in 2023 and written by the paper’s crossword editor, Wyna Liu. You get 16 words and have to sort them into four hidden groups of four.
Each group gets a color based on difficulty. Yellow is the easiest, then green, then blue, and purple is always the toughest and usually the most twisted wordplay. You can miss up to four times before the puzzle ends your run, so guessing carefully matters.
You can play the puzzle for free on the NYT Games site.
Today’s Connections Hints (August 11)
If you just want a nudge instead of the full answer, use these:
- Yellow: Ways to say something is finished for good
- Green: Channels you’d find on basic cable
- Blue: Phrases an auctioneer might shout
- Purple: These words sound like something on your head, not what they mean
Watch out for the red herrings. DONE and TOAST look like they belong in a food category, and BRAVO and USA could easily pass for something else entirely. Don’t lock those in until you’ve checked the other options.
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Today’s Connections Categories
Here’s a bit more detail before the full reveal:
- Yellow – Doomed
- Green – Basic Cable Channels
- Blue – Words In An Auctioneer’s Chant
- Purple – Homophones Of Facial Features
Still stuck? Full answers are just below.
NYT Connections Answers for August 11, 2026
Here are all four groups for puzzle #1157:
Yellow – Doomed
DONE, SUNK, THROUGH, TOAST
Green – Basic Cable Channels
BET, BRAVO, HISTORY, USA
Blue – Words In An Auctioneer’s Chant
GOING, ONCE, SOLD, TWICE
Purple – Homophones Of Facial Features
AYE, HARE, KNOWS, TUNG
The purple group is the classic Connections twist. None of those words look like face parts at first glance, but say them out loud and it clicks fast.
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Why Today’s Puzzle Trips People Up
The biggest trap today is DONE and TOAST. Both words show up so often in food contexts that your brain wants to group them with cooking terms. Same goes for BRAVO and USA, which read like place names or expressions before you realize they’re TV channels.
The move that usually works best is to lock in the group you’re most confident about first, even if it’s not yellow. That clears the board and makes the leftover words easier to place.
How to Play NYT Connections
- Head to the official Connections page and hit Play.
- Pick four words you think share a connection, then hit Submit.
- If a group is wrong, you’ll see a message telling you how close you were.
- Keep going until you’ve sorted all 16 words, or you run out of your four allowed mistakes.
A new puzzle drops at midnight in your local time zone, so the answers reset daily for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is Connections puzzle number 1157?
A. Puzzle #1157 is the NYT Connections grid for Tuesday, August 11, 2026, featuring a Doomed category, Basic Cable Channels, Auctioneer’s Chant phrases, and Facial Feature Homophones.
Q. Who creates NYT Connections?
A. The New York Times’ crossword editor, Wyna Liu, writes the daily Connections puzzles.
Q. Can I play past Connections puzzles?
A. Yes. NYT All Access and Games subscribers can access the full Connections archive on the NYT Games site.
Final Thoughts
Today’s Connections puzzle rewards patience over speed. The Doomed and Basic Cable groups are gettable early, but the auctioneer’s chant and the facial feature homophones need a second look before you commit.
If you got a perfect run today, nice work. If not, there’s a new puzzle waiting for you tomorrow.
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