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NYT Connections · #1167

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1167) — August 21, 2026

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“When a word feels too obvious for one group, test it against the others — the grid has at least two words that belong somewhere more specific than your first instinct.”

NYT Connections hints for August 21, 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 ACTIONLooks like a genre or a noun — here it's the director's single-word command to start filming.
2 BLUE MOONOnce in a blue moon — meaning almost never; the song and the colour reading are both bait.
3 COMEBACKNot a retort — pairs with KIDS to form Comeback Kids, a sports documentary series.
4 CURTAIN UPThe literal and figurative signal that a theatre show is beginning.
5 GENERATIONOnce in a generation — used for events so rare they define an era.
6 KARATEThe 1984 film The Karate Kid launched a franchise that's still running decades later.
7 LIFETIMEOnce in a lifetime — the most personal scale of rarity on the list.
8 NUTRITIONFood as fuel — the broadest of the four needs, covering everything from plankton to apex predators.
9 OXYGENThe gas most animals pull from air or water to keep cells running.
10 PLACESThe stage manager's call for actors to get into their starting positions.
11 SHOWTIMEThe moment the performance kicks off — also a cable channel, but that's not the game here.
12 SLEEPThe need that surprises people — but even fruit flies die without it.
13 SUNDANCEThe Sundance Kid — Butch Cassidy's famous outlaw partner, and the name that launched a film festival.
14 WATERThe most universal need on the list; life as we know it is built around it.
15 WHILEOnce in a while — the most casual and frequent of the four; barely rare at all.
16 WIMPYFrom Diary of a Wimpy Kid — the adjective that launched a bestselling book and film series.
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 A biology textbook's shortest survival checklist.
See Group THINGS MOST ANIMALS NEED
See WordNUTRITION
See WordOXYGEN
See WordSLEEP
See WordWATER
See Hint The stage manager's voice just before everything starts.
See Group CALLS TO BEGIN A PERFORMANCE
See WordACTION
See WordCURTAIN UP
See WordPLACES
See WordSHOWTIME
See Hint One shared suffix turns these four into famous titles.
See Group ___ KIDS
See WordCOMEBACK
See WordKARATE
See WordSUNDANCE
See WordWIMPY
See Hint Finish the phrase that means something almost never happens.
See Group ONCE IN A ___
See WordBLUE MOON
See WordGENERATION
See WordLIFETIME
See WordWHILE
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 ACTION Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a movie genre or a general doing-something word — but the puzzle is using it as a specific spoken cue, not a category of film.
2 BLUE MOON Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of the song or a colour-themed grouping — but the puzzle is using it as the tail end of a phrase about how often something happens.
3 COMEBACK Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing a witty retort or a celebrity's return to fame — but the puzzle is using it as part of a proper title, not a general concept.

NYT Connections answers for August 21, 2026

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

Y THINGS MOST ANIMALS NEED · Yellow · easiest
  • NUTRITION
  • OXYGEN
  • SLEEP
  • WATER

NUTRITION, OXYGEN, SLEEP and WATER are all basic survival needs shared by most animals. SLEEP is the one solvers sometimes second-guess — it feels less urgent than the others, but sleep deprivation is fatal across virtually all studied species.

G CALLS TO BEGIN A PERFORMANCE · Green · easy
  • ACTION
  • CURTAIN UP
  • PLACES
  • SHOWTIME

ACTION, CURTAIN UP, PLACES and SHOWTIME are all phrases used to signal that a performance is about to begin. ACTION is the sneakiest — it doubles as a film genre and a general noun, but here it's the director's sharp command the moment cameras roll.

B ___ KIDS · Blue · medium
  • COMEBACK
  • KARATE
  • SUNDANCE
  • WIMPY

COMEBACK, KARATE, SUNDANCE and WIMPY all precede KIDS to form a recognisable title. WIMPY KID is the most familiar — the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise — and KARATE KID launched a film series still running today, while COMEBACK KIDS and SUNDANCE KID (of Butch Cassidy fame) round out the group.

P ONCE IN A ___ · Purple · hardest
  • BLUE MOON
  • GENERATION
  • LIFETIME
  • WHILE

BLUE MOON, GENERATION, LIFETIME and WHILE all complete the phrase 'ONCE IN A ___', each expressing rarity at a different scale. BLUE MOON is the trickiest — it reads as a colour phrase or a song title, but 'once in a blue moon' is one of the most common English idioms for something that almost never occurs.

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