Today’s NYT Connections puzzle (#1158) hides a sneaky twist in its purple group, and it’s already tripping people up.
If you’re stuck, the answers for August 12, 2026 are below, along with hints for each category in case you just want a nudge instead of a straight spoiler.
Connections asks players to sort 16 words into four hidden groups of four. Every puzzle has one easy category and one brutal one, and today is no exception.
Today’s Hints (No Spoilers)
Work through these before scrolling to the full answers.
- Yellow: Think about holding onto a feeling for a long time, like nursing a grudge.
- Green: Every word in this group is a type of frog. One of them is also just a color.
- Blue: These are surnames of characters from NBC sitcoms.
- Purple: Each phrase starts with a different way of saying “yes.”
If those hints didn’t crack it, the full breakdown is next.
NYT Connections Answers, August 12, 2026 (#1158)
Yellow: To Sustain a Feeling
FOSTER, HARBOR, MAINTAIN, NURSE
All four words describe holding onto an emotion longer than you probably should. You can foster resentment, harbor a grudge, maintain a grudge, or nurse one. This was the most straightforward group today.
Green: Types of Frogs
BULL, GREEN, POISON DART, TREE
This is where the puzzle starts messing with players. GREEN looks like it belongs in a color-themed group, but it’s actually a frog species. Bullfrogs are large and invasive in many regions, tree frogs live mostly off the ground, and poison dart frogs get their bright colors from their diet.
Blue: NBC Sitcom Surnames
BENES, BING, LEMON, SCOTT
This group leans on TV knowledge. Elaine Benes is from “Seinfeld,” Chandler Bing is from “Friends,” Liz Lemon is from “30 Rock,” and Michael Scott is from “The Office.” All four shows aired on NBC, which ties the group together.
Purple: Starts With an Affirmative
FINE PRINT, GOODBYE, GREAT WHITE, OKAYAMA
This is the twist category. Each answer opens with a different way of agreeing or saying yes: FINE, GOOD, GREAT, and OKAY. Okayama, a city in Japan, is the one most players won’t see coming.
Why Today’s Puzzle Was Tricky
The GREEN frog was the main red herring. Since one of the other groups involves color-adjacent thinking early on, players naturally want to sort GREEN with anything that looks like a color category, when it’s really just a species of frog.
The purple group also relies on wordplay rather than a direct theme, which is classic for Connections’ hardest tier. Spotting “yes” words hidden inside longer phrases takes a different kind of pattern recognition than the other three categories.
What Is NYT Connections?
Connections is a daily word puzzle from The New York Times, edited by Wyna Liu. Players get 16 words or phrases and have to sort them into four hidden groups of four, each with its own theme. Categories are color-coded by difficulty, from yellow (easiest) to purple (hardest), and mistakes cost you.
Final Thoughts
Puzzle #1158 rewarded players who looked past the obvious color trap in the green group and caught the wordplay hiding in purple. If you solved it without a mistake, that’s a solid streak-saver for a Wednesday.
Check back tomorrow for the next set of NYT Connections hints and answers, along with daily solutions for Wordle, Strands, and more. Follow GamerUrge for daily puzzle help and the latest gaming news and guides.
