If today’s Connections grid has you stuck, you’re not imagining things. The Connections Companion rates puzzle #1,170 at 3.3 out of 5 for difficulty, which is a step up from Sunday’s board. Here’s everything you need to keep your streak alive, starting with hints and ending with the full solution.
What Is NYT Connections?
Connections is the New York Times’ daily word-grouping game, created by puzzle editor Wyna Liu. You get 16 words and have to sort them into four hidden groups of four.
Every group shares a theme, but the game always hides a trap word or two. That word looks like it fits one category while actually belonging to another. You get four wrong guesses before the game ends, so patience matters more than speed.
Groups are color-coded by difficulty:
- Yellow: easiest
- Green: medium
- Blue: harder
- Purple: wordplay, usually the trickiest
Today’s Connections Words (August 24, #1,170)
Here’s the full grid, listed alphabetically so the layout doesn’t spoil anything:
ARCH, BESET, CHIEF, DESERVE, EX-LOVE, EYELET, FACE, HEEL, JOBBER, KAYFABE, MAIN, MULLET, PIKE, PRIME, SOLE, TANG
Hints for Each Group
Yellow: Think of a seafood counter. All four words also name a type of fish.
Green: These words are all synonyms for “main” or “most important.” One of them, arch, is the trickiest to spot because it usually means something else.
Blue: This one’s for wrestling fans. All four terms come from pro-wrestling lingo used backstage to describe characters and storylines.
Purple: This group takes two steps. Swap part of each word for a letter it sounds like, then land on a tennis term. It’s wordplay stacked on wordplay, so don’t rush it.
A good strategy today: lock in the fish group first since it’s the most literal. Then tackle pro-wrestling lingo, since jobber and kayfabe are pretty specific terms that don’t fit anywhere else. That leaves the two trickier groups easier to sort by elimination.
NYT Connections Answers for August 24 (#1,170)
Here’s the full solution.
FISH
MULLET, PIKE, SOLE, TANG
PRINCIPAL (WORDS FOR “MOST IMPORTANT”)
ARCH, CHIEF, MAIN, PRIME
PRO-WRESTLING LINGO
FACE, HEEL, JOBBER, KAYFABE
LETTER HOMOPHONE + TENNIS TERM
BESET, DESERVE, EX-LOVE, EYELET
The purple group is worth explaining since it’s the one most players miss. Each word breaks into a letter sound followed by a tennis term. That kind of double-layered wordplay is exactly what makes purple groups the hardest part of the puzzle on a regular basis.
If you guessed face for pro-wrestling lingo before landing on the others, you’re not alone. Today’s Companion data shows that was the single most common wrong guess, since face is also wrestling terminology on its own, just not part of this specific quartet.
Tips to Improve Your Connections Streak
A few habits that help beyond today’s puzzle:
Start with whichever group you’re most confident about, not necessarily yellow.
Watch for words that could plausibly fit two categories. That overlap is usually intentional.
If you get a “one away” message, swap your least certain word before restarting your logic from scratch.
Save purple for last most days. It relies on wordplay more often than a plain definition.
Final Thoughts
Today’s Connections leaned harder into wordplay than usual, which explains the 3.3/5 difficulty rating. The fish and wrestling groups were gettable with general knowledge, but the letter-and-tennis category needed a specific kind of lateral thinking. Check back tomorrow for the next puzzle’s hints and answers.
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