You're reading an archived Connections puzzle from Aug 20, 2026 — the daily hints refresh every midnight.

Today's puzzle hints & answers →
Connections sportSports Connections Wordle Spelling Bee Browse all →
NYT Connections · #1166

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1166) — August 20, 2026

By ·

Earlier Aug 19 This puzzle Aug 20 Later Aug 21

“Before you lock in any group, read each word slowly and look for something hidden at the start — a few of these words are wolves in sheep's clothing.HAWAIIAN appeared before in Connections #702 (May 13, 2025) as part of the same pizza category. OXFORD appeared in Connections #529 (Nov 21, 2024) as part of shirt types — a very different role from the one it plays today. RATCHET appeared in Connections #931 (Dec 28, 2025) among mechanical watch parts, which is closer to its surface meaning than what today's puzzle wants from it.”

NYT Connections hints for August 20, 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 APOSTROPHEThe raised curved mark used for contractions and possessives — the most familiar of the four.
2 ATOMICScreams nuclear science, but an atomic number is just how many protons an element has — its address on the periodic table.
3 CEDILLAThe small hook hanging below the letter C in words like façade, changing its sound.
4 COMMAThe low curved mark that separates clauses — its shape is the family resemblance that puts it here.
5 DIAVOLAAn Italian spicy pizza whose name means 'she-devil' — loaded with salami and chilli.
6 DRAGONFLYAn insect on the surface; starts with DRAGON, one of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals.
7 HAWAIIANThe pineapple-and-ham pizza that has started more arguments than any other topping combination.
8 MEAT LOVERSA pizza piled with multiple meats — pepperoni, sausage, bacon and more.
9 OKINAA Hawaiian glottal-stop mark that looks nearly identical to a curved apostrophe — the most obscure of the four.
10 OXFORDLooks like a university or a comma style; starts with OX, the second animal in the Chinese zodiac.
11 PIGMENTLooks like a colouring substance; starts with PIG, the twelfth and final Chinese zodiac animal.
12 RATCHETLooks like a mechanical tool or slang; starts with RAT, the first animal in the Chinese zodiac cycle.
13 SERIALEvokes true-crime podcasts, but a serial number is the unique ID stamped on a product.
14 SOCIAL SECURITYThe nine-digit US government ID number assigned to every citizen.
15 TELEPHONEThe most familiar number type here — the string of digits you dial to reach someone.
16 WHITELooks like a plain colour word; here it names a pizza made with no tomato sauce, just olive oil and cheese.
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 What you might order from a pizzeria menu.
See Group KINDS OF PIZZA
See WordDIAVOLA
See WordHAWAIIAN
See WordMEAT LOVERS
See WordWHITE
See Hint Each one labels a specific string of digits assigned to something.
See Group KINDS OF NUMBERS
See WordATOMIC
See WordSERIAL
See WordSOCIAL SECURITY
See WordTELEPHONE
See Hint Tiny curved marks that sit low or high on a letter.
See Group SIMILARLY SHAPED TYPOGRAPHICAL MARKS
See WordAPOSTROPHE
See WordCEDILLA
See WordCOMMA
See WordOKINA
See Hint Peel back the first syllable and you'll find the Chinese zodiac.
See Group STARTING WITH CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMALS
See WordDRAGONFLY
See WordOXFORD
See WordPIGMENT
See WordRATCHET
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 OXFORD Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of Oxford University or the Oxford comma — but the puzzle isn't using it as a punctuation reference or an institution. Look at the very first letters.
2 RATCHET Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing the mechanical tool or the slang term — but the puzzle is using it for something hidden inside the word itself, not its meaning.
3 COMMA Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably confident this is a punctuation mark — and it is, but the famous 'Oxford comma' phrase may tempt you to pair it with OXFORD, which belongs somewhere else entirely.
4 WHITE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a colour or an adjective — but here it names a specific style of pizza, not a shade or a modifier.
5 ATOMIC Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of nuclear science or atomic bombs — but the puzzle is using it as a modifier for a very specific kind of identifying number.

NYT Connections answers for August 20, 2026

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

Y KINDS OF PIZZA · Yellow · easiest
  • DIAVOLA
  • HAWAIIAN
  • MEAT LOVERS
  • WHITE

DIAVOLA, HAWAIIAN, MEAT LOVERS and WHITE are all kinds of pizza. WHITE is the sneakiest — most solvers read it as a plain colour adjective before realising it names a pizza made without tomato sauce.

G KINDS OF NUMBERS · Green · easy
  • ATOMIC
  • SERIAL
  • SOCIAL SECURITY
  • TELEPHONE

ATOMIC, SERIAL, SOCIAL SECURITY and TELEPHONE can all precede the word 'number' to name a recognised type of number. ATOMIC is the trickiest — solvers expect it to relate to nuclear physics, but an atomic number is simply an element's position on the periodic table.

B SIMILARLY SHAPED TYPOGRAPHICAL MARKS · Blue · medium
  • APOSTROPHE
  • CEDILLA
  • COMMA
  • OKINA

APOSTROPHE, CEDILLA, COMMA and OKINA are all small, similarly shaped typographical marks — each a little curved hook or tail. OKINA is the least known: it's a Hawaiian punctuation mark that looks almost identical to a curved apostrophe and represents a glottal stop.

P STARTING WITH CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMALS · Purple · hardest
  • DRAGONFLY
  • OXFORD
  • PIGMENT
  • RATCHET

DRAGONFLY, OXFORD, PIGMENT and RATCHET each begin with a Chinese zodiac animal: DRAGON, OX, PIG and RAT. The surface meanings — an insect, a university, a colouring substance, a mechanical tool — are all deliberate misdirection.

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