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NYT Connections · #1171

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1171) — August 25, 2026

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“Lock in the two easiest groups first, then look hard at the remaining words — not for what they mean, but for how they end.”

NYT Connections hints for August 25, 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 COSMETICUsually means makeup-related, but here it means a change that only touches the surface.
2 GREEN MILEThe 1999 film set on death row, starring Tom Hanks — one of King's most beloved adaptations.
3 HARLEM SHAKEFamous as a viral dance meme — but it ends with 'shake,' a blended ice cream drink.
4 HYPERSPACEThe faster-than-light shortcut through space made famous by Star Wars.
5 INSIDE SCOOPMeans exclusive information — but it ends with 'scoop,' what you ask for at the counter.
6 LICKETY-SPLITMeans very fast — but it ends with 'split,' the banana-based ice cream classic.
7 LONG WALKOriginally a Bachman book; the film adaptation keeps the King connection alive.
8 ONE-DIMENSIONALA flat, underdeveloped character in a novel is the classic example.
9 PARALLEL UNIVERSEAn alternate reality running alongside our own — a multiverse staple.
10 RUNNING MANAnother Bachman novel turned film — the 1987 Schwarzenegger action version.
11 SHAWSHANK REDEMPTIONConsistently rated among the greatest films ever made; based on King's novella.
12 SKIN-DEEPFrom the proverb 'beauty is only skin-deep' — no twist, it straightforwardly means shallow.
13 SUPERFICIALThe most clinical of the four — used in medicine for wounds that don't go deep.
14 TELEPORTATIONInstant travel from one place to another — no ship required.
15 TIME WARPA distortion that lets you jump through time — also a Rocky Horror song, but that's not why it's here.
16 TRAFFIC CONEThe orange road marker — but it ends with 'cone,' the most iconic ice cream vessel.
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 All four belong on the shallow end of the pool.
See Group SURFACE-LEVEL
See WordCOSMETIC
See WordONE-DIMENSIONAL
See WordSKIN-DEEP
See WordSUPERFICIAL
See Hint Physics teachers would mark all four as fiction.
See Group SCI-FI PHENOMENA
See WordHYPERSPACE
See WordPARALLEL UNIVERSE
See WordTELEPORTATION
See WordTIME WARP
See Hint Add 'The' and you have a King-approved nightmare.
See Group STEPHEN KING FILM ADAPTATIONS, WITH "THE"
See WordGREEN MILE
See WordLONG WALK
See WordRUNNING MAN
See WordSHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
See Hint A parlour with a freezer would recognise the tail of each phrase.
See Group ENDING IN ICE CREAM ORDERS
See WordHARLEM SHAKE
See WordINSIDE SCOOP
See WordLICKETY-SPLIT
See WordTRAFFIC CONE
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 INSIDE SCOOP Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as exclusive insider information — that's the bait. Here the puzzle is using the last word of the phrase, not the phrase's meaning.
2 LICKETY-SPLIT Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as an expression for moving fast. The puzzle doesn't care about that meaning — focus on the very last word.
3 HARLEM SHAKE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing the viral dance meme. That reading is the trap — the puzzle is interested in the word the phrase ends with, not the dance.

NYT Connections answers for August 25, 2026

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

Y SURFACE-LEVEL · Yellow · easiest
  • COSMETIC
  • ONE-DIMENSIONAL
  • SKIN-DEEP
  • SUPERFICIAL

COSMETIC, ONE-DIMENSIONAL, SKIN-DEEP and SUPERFICIAL all mean lacking depth or substance. SKIN-DEEP is the most familiar of the four — it comes pre-packaged as a cliché, which can make solvers second-guess whether it really belongs here.

G SCI-FI PHENOMENA · Green · easy
  • HYPERSPACE
  • PARALLEL UNIVERSE
  • TELEPORTATION
  • TIME WARP

HYPERSPACE, PARALLEL UNIVERSE, TELEPORTATION and TIME WARP are all staple phenomena of science fiction. TIME WARP is the most culturally loaded — it's also a song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but here it's purely a sci-fi travel concept.

B STEPHEN KING FILM ADAPTATIONS, WITH "THE" · Blue · medium
  • GREEN MILE
  • LONG WALK
  • RUNNING MAN
  • SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

GREEN MILE, LONG WALK, RUNNING MAN and SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION are all Stephen King stories adapted into films, each known by 'The ___'. LONG WALK and RUNNING MAN were originally published under King's pen name Richard Bachman, which can make solvers doubt they belong here.

P ENDING IN ICE CREAM ORDERS · Purple · hardest
  • HARLEM SHAKE
  • INSIDE SCOOP
  • LICKETY-SPLIT
  • TRAFFIC CONE

HARLEM SHAKE, INSIDE SCOOP, LICKETY-SPLIT and TRAFFIC CONE each end with a word you can order at an ice cream counter: shake, scoop, split and cone. The trick is ignoring what the full phrase means and listening only to its final word.

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