You're reading an archived Connections puzzle from Aug 18, 2026 — the daily hints refresh every midnight.

Today's puzzle hints & answers →
Connections sportSports Connections Wordle Spelling Bee Browse all →
NYT Connections · #1164

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1164) — August 18, 2026

By ·

Earlier Aug 17 This puzzle Aug 18 Later Aug 19

“Before you lock in any group, check whether a word or phrase could be abbreviated — at least four entries here are hiding a shorter identity.BASKETBALL has appeared several times before — as an inflated object in Connections #437 (Aug 21, 2024), and among colour-coded things in Connections #211 (Jan 8, 2024).”

NYT Connections hints for August 18, 2026

Three levels of help — a definition for every word, colour-coded group nudges, and a heads-up on the traps. Skip to all answers →

1

Word clues

A spoiler-free definition for every word in the grid. Tap the eye on any card to reveal which colour-group it belongs to.

1 BASKETBALLThe sport is the distraction; the ball's distinctive colour is the point.
2 COWBOY COFFEEBrewed without a filter, so the grounds sit in the cup — literally gritty.
3 FILM NOIRThe genre's dark, cynical, morally rough tone earns it the adjective.
4 FLYERS MASCOTGritty is the actual name of the Philadelphia Flyers' wild-eyed mascot.
5 LIMOUSINEThe long black car that delivers celebrities to the curb.
6 ORANGUTANThe great ape whose reddish-orange fur puts it here.
7 PAPARAZZIThe photographers swarming the arrivals — a natural fit for the red-carpet scene.
8 PETROLEUM JELLYThe greasy skin salve whose initials match the category's theme.
9 POETIC JUSTICEKarma by another name — and a PJ in disguise.
10 PRACTICAL JOKEA prank whose initials land it in this group.
11 PRIVATE JETLooks like luxury transport; here it's just two letters that matter.
12 RED CARPETThe literal strip of crimson flooring that gives the event its name.
13 SANDPAPERThe most literal member — abrasive by design.
14 SWEET POTATOThe orange flesh inside makes it a natural fit.
15 TRAFFIC CONEIts hi-vis colour is the whole reason it works on a road — and the whole reason it's here.
16 VELVET ROPEThe plush barrier that separates the crowd from the stars.
2

Group hints

Four colour-coded groups, easiest → hardest. Every button reveals the hint, the category name, or a single word — tap only what you need.

See Hint Flash bulbs, barriers, and a very famous floor covering.
See Group SEEN AT A MOVIE PREMIERE
See WordLIMOUSINE
See WordPAPARAZZI
See WordRED CARPET
See WordVELVET ROPE
See Hint Two letters tie these four phrases together — the same two letters, every time.
See Group PJS
See WordPETROLEUM JELLY
See WordPOETIC JUSTICE
See WordPRACTICAL JOKE
See WordPRIVATE JET
See Hint A shared look that has nothing to do with what each one does.
See Group THINGS THAT ARE ORANGE
See WordBASKETBALL
See WordORANGUTAN
See WordSWEET POTATO
See WordTRAFFIC CONE
See Hint Rough around the edges — sometimes literally, sometimes by reputation, sometimes by name.
See Group THINGS THAT ARE GRITTY
See WordCOWBOY COFFEE
See WordFILM NOIR
See WordFLYERS MASCOT
See WordSANDPAPER
3

Words the puzzle wants you to mis-group

Read these before you guess — they're the words most likely to break a streak. Tap for the trap.

1 FILM NOIR Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a movie genre and want to pair it with the cinema-premiere words — but the puzzle is using it for a quality it has, not the setting it evokes.
2 PRIVATE JET Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of it as celebrity transport alongside LIMOUSINE — but the puzzle is using it in a very different way, one that has nothing to do with how it gets you from A to B.
3 COWBOY COFFEE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing an outdoorsy brewing method — but the puzzle is using it for a very specific physical property of the drink itself.

NYT Connections answers for August 18, 2026

All four groups revealed, easiest first. Each card holds the theme, the four words, and why the group works.

Y SEEN AT A MOVIE PREMIERE · Yellow · easiest
  • LIMOUSINE
  • PAPARAZZI
  • RED CARPET
  • VELVET ROPE

LIMOUSINE, PAPARAZZI, RED CARPET and VELVET ROPE are all things you would encounter at a movie premiere. The category is the most straightforward of the four, though FILM NOIR tempts solvers who want to file it here because of its cinematic flavour.

G PJS · Green · easy
  • PETROLEUM JELLY
  • POETIC JUSTICE
  • PRACTICAL JOKE
  • PRIVATE JET

PETROLEUM JELLY, POETIC JUSTICE, PRACTICAL JOKE and PRIVATE JET all abbreviate to PJ or PJs. POETIC JUSTICE is the sneakiest — most solvers read it as a philosophical concept long before they notice the initials.

B THINGS THAT ARE ORANGE · Blue · medium
  • BASKETBALL
  • ORANGUTAN
  • SWEET POTATO
  • TRAFFIC CONE

BASKETBALL, ORANGUTAN, SWEET POTATO and TRAFFIC CONE are all orange in colour. BASKETBALL and TRAFFIC CONE are the traps — solvers think sport and street safety before they think colour.

P THINGS THAT ARE GRITTY · Purple · hardest
  • COWBOY COFFEE
  • FILM NOIR
  • FLYERS MASCOT
  • SANDPAPER

COWBOY COFFEE, FILM NOIR, FLYERS MASCOT and SANDPAPER are all gritty — SANDPAPER literally, COWBOY COFFEE because the unfiltered grounds end up in your cup, FILM NOIR for its dark and cynical aesthetic, and FLYERS MASCOT because Gritty is the actual name of the Philadelphia Flyers' mascot. FLYERS MASCOT is the hardest — you need to know that the mascot's name is Gritty.

Try another puzzle

Two more NazoKai hints, ready when you are.

Wordle

Today's hint ladder & answer

Open

Spelling Bee

Answers, pangram & word list

Open