Stuck on the yellow group again? You’re not alone. Today’s NYT Connections puzzle, number 1172, has a purple category that’s easy to mix up with the others. If you need a nudge or just want to check your answers, here’s everything you need for the August 26, 2026 puzzle.
What Is NYT Connections?
Connections is a daily word puzzle from The New York Times. The crossword editor, Wyna Liu, writes it.
You get a grid of 16 words. Your job is to sort them into four groups of four based on a hidden theme.
Each group has its own difficulty level, shown by color:
- Yellow: easiest
- Green: fairly simple
- Blue: trickier
- Purple: hardest, often wordplay
You get four wrong guesses before the game ends. Miss more than that and you lose your streak for the day.
Today’s Connections Hints (August 26, 2026)
If you’re not ready for the full answer yet, start here. These hints point you in the right direction without giving everything away.
- Yellow: To show off
- Green: Specialty
- Blue: Same capital letter
- Purple: Starts with a lock opener
Today’s Connections Category Names
Still stuck? Here are the actual category titles for puzzle 1172.
- Yellow: “There You Have It!”
- Green: Knack
- Blue: What “P” Might Stand For
- Purple: Key ___
Beyond This Point, Full Spoilers Ahead
Keep scrolling only if you want the complete answer key.
NYT Connections Answers For August 26, 2026 (Puzzle #1172)
Here’s the full solution for today’s grid, broken down by color.
Yellow: “There You Have It!”
- Behold
- Presto
- Shazam
- VoilÃ
These are all words people say when revealing something with a flourish, like a magician finishing a trick.
Green: Knack
- Forte
- Gift
- Strength
- Talent
Each of these words can mean a natural skill or ability someone has.
Blue: What “P” Might Stand For
- Page
- Park
- Phosphorus
- Piano
This group plays on abbreviations. Piano shortens to “p” in sheet music, phosphorus is the “P” on the periodic table, and page and park are common shorthand in other contexts.
Purple: Key ___
- Chain
- Largo
- Lime
- Signature
This is the twist category. Add “key” in front of each word and you get keychain, key largo, key lime, and key signature. Largo and Lime are the words most likely to trip people up, since they don’t scream “key” phrase at first glance.
Why the Purple Category Is the Hardest Today
Purple categories in Connections almost always rely on wordplay instead of meaning. Today’s “Key ___” group is a good example.
Words like Largo and Lime look like they could fit somewhere else on the board. Largo sounds musical, which could tempt you to pair it with Piano in the blue group. Lime feels like it belongs with a food or color theme.
The trick is to always check if a word makes sense with a common prefix or suffix, especially when you’re down to your last unsolved group.
Tips for Solving NYT Connections Faster
- Start with the group you’re most confident about, usually yellow or green.
- Watch for words that seem to fit two categories. That’s usually a decoy.
- If you get a “one away” message, swap out the word you’re least sure about first.
- Save purple for last since it often needs the process of elimination to click.
Final Thoughts
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle rewards players who look past the obvious meaning of each word. The purple “Key ___” group is the one most likely to cost you a guess, so save it for when you’ve locked in the other three.
Come back tomorrow for the next set of hints and answers, and follow GamerUrge for daily NYT Connections solutions, gaming news, and guides you can actually use.
