You're reading an archived Connections puzzle from Aug 22, 2026 — the daily hints refresh every midnight.

Today's puzzle hints & answers →
Connections sportSports Connections Wordle Spelling Bee Browse all →
NYT Connections · #1168

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1168) — August 22, 2026

By ·

Earlier Aug 21 This puzzle Aug 22 Later Aug 23

“When a word feels like it belongs with another word on the grid, that feeling is probably the trap — test each word on its own before committing to a pair.”

NYT Connections hints for August 22, 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 BITTERTastes like an ale and looks like a warty cucumber — BITTER MELON is a staple in Asian cuisine.
2 CHISELA beveled blade you drive with a mallet to carve or pare wood.
3 CONEIce cream shape is the bait; here it's the wide, spreading spray pattern on a nozzle.
4 GILMORELorelai and Rory's surname — the mother-daughter duo at the heart of the Stars Hollow drama.
5 GOLDENFour retired women in Miami — the long-running sitcom that ran from 1985 to 1992.
6 HAMMERThe most recognisable tool here — drives nails and shapes metal.
7 JETA single, high-pressure stream — the most forceful setting on the dial.
8 MEANCould be unkind or a statistical average, but here it's the Tina Fey-scripted high-school film franchise.
9 MISTLooks like weather; here it's the finest, gentlest spray for delicate plants.
10 MUSKMUSK MELON is the botanical name for the family that includes cantaloupes.
11 PLANELooks like it belongs in the sky; here it's the tool that shaves a board flat.
12 SAWCould be read as past tense of 'see,' but here it's the toothed blade that cuts wood.
13 SHOWERBathroom fixture is the bait; here it's the gentle, rain-like spray setting.
14 SPICEScary, Sporty, Baby, Ginger and Posh — the 90s pop group that told you what they really, really want.
15 WATERThe most familiar of the four — WATERMELON needs no introduction.
16 WINTERWINTER MELON is a large, pale-green gourd used in soups; 'bitter winter' is the trap here.
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 woodworker keeps all four of these on the bench.
See Group CARPENTRY TOOLS
See WordCHISEL
See WordHAMMER
See WordPLANE
See WordSAW
See Hint Each word turns into a gourd when you add one more.
See Group KINDS OF MELON
See WordBITTER
See WordMUSK
See WordWATER
See WordWINTER
See Hint Twist the dial on the end of the hose and pick one.
See Group GARDEN HOSE SETTINGS
See WordCONE
See WordJET
See WordMIST
See WordSHOWER
See Hint Four words that each launch a beloved title when followed by the same word.
See Group ___ GIRLS OF POP CULTURE
See WordGILMORE
See WordGOLDEN
See WordMEAN
See WordSPICE
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 PLANE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing an aircraft or a flat geometric surface — both are the bait. Here it's a hand tool that shaves wood smooth.
2 SHOWER Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of a bathroom fixture or a rain shower, but here the puzzle is using it as a spray-pattern option on a nozzle, not anything weather- or hygiene-related.
3 MEAN Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as unkind or as a mathematical average — both are natural first reads, but the puzzle is using it in a completely different cultural context.
4 BITTER Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of a taste or a type of British ale, but here it precedes a word to name a specific variety of gourd.

NYT Connections answers for August 22, 2026

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

Y CARPENTRY TOOLS · Yellow · easiest
  • CHISEL
  • HAMMER
  • PLANE
  • SAW

CHISEL, HAMMER, PLANE and SAW are all hand tools used in carpentry. PLANE is the sneakiest — most solvers picture an aircraft before remembering the flat-bladed tool that smooths timber.

G KINDS OF MELON · Green · easy
  • BITTER
  • MUSK
  • WATER
  • WINTER

BITTER, MUSK, WATER and WINTER each precede 'melon' to name a variety of the fruit. BITTER MELON is the most obscure — it's a bumpy, intensely bitter gourd common in Asian cooking, not a sweet melon at all.

B GARDEN HOSE SETTINGS · Blue · medium
  • CONE
  • JET
  • MIST
  • SHOWER

CONE, JET, MIST and SHOWER are all spray settings found on a garden hose nozzle. CONE is the trickiest — most solvers picture ice cream or geometry before thinking of a wide, fan-shaped water pattern.

P ___ GIRLS OF POP CULTURE · Purple · hardest
  • GILMORE
  • GOLDEN
  • MEAN
  • SPICE

GILMORE, GOLDEN, MEAN and SPICE each precede 'Girls' to name a beloved pop-culture property — Gilmore Girls, Golden Girls, Mean Girls and Spice Girls. MEAN is the most disorienting — its everyday meanings as an adjective or a statistical term make it feel like it belongs almost anywhere else on the grid.

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