Stuck on today’s Connections grid? You’re not the only one.
Puzzle #1167 has a fair mix of easy and sneaky today. The straightforward group is about things animals need to survive. The hardest one plays on the phrase “once in a.” Below you’ll find soft hints first, then the full answers if you just want the solution.
What Is NYT Connections?
Connections is the New York Times’ daily word puzzle. You get 16 words and sort them into four hidden groups of four.
Each group has a color that tells you how hard it is:
- Yellow: easiest
- Green: easy to medium
- Blue: tricky
- Purple: hardest, usually wordplay
You get four wrong guesses before the game ends. Start with the group you’re most confident about, and watch out for words that seem to fit more than one category. That overlap is usually intentional.
Today’s Hints
Try these before you scroll down to the full answers.
- Yellow hint: These are basics every living creature needs to survive.
- Green hint: These words get shouted right before a show starts.
- Blue hint: Pair each word with a term for young people. Think specific types of kids.
- Purple hint: All four complete the phrase “once in a ___.”
Today’s NYT Connections Answers
Here’s the full breakdown for August 21, 2026.
Yellow: Things Most Animals Need
- Nutrition
- Oxygen
- Sleep
- Water
Green: Calls to Begin a Performance
- Action
- Curtain Up
- Places
- Showtime
Blue: ___ Kids
- Comeback
- Karate
- Sundance
- Wimpy
Purple: Once in a ___
- Blue Moon
- Generation
- Lifetime
- While
Why Today’s Puzzle Trips People Up
Blue and Purple are where most streaks end today. Karate and Wimpy both work fine on their own, so it’s easy to miss that they belong to the same “kids” group.
Blue Moon is the real trap. Connections loves hiding color words in categories that have nothing to do with color, and plenty of players will try to build a “blue” group before realizing it belongs with Generation, Lifetime, and While instead.
How to Get Better at Connections
- Solve the group you’re most sure about first, usually Yellow.
- Question any word that feels oddly specific, like a color, number, or shape. That’s often a purple group in disguise.
- If two words seem interchangeable across categories, that’s the puzzle testing you on purpose.
Final Thoughts
That’s the full solution for NYT Connections Puzzle #1167 on August 21, 2026. A new puzzle drops tomorrow, and we’ll have fresh hints and answers ready as soon as it goes live.
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