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NYT Connections · #1172

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1172) — August 26, 2026

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“Before you commit to any music-themed group, check whether each word is doing something else entirely — at least two obvious music words belong in completely different categories.”

NYT Connections hints for August 26, 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 BEHOLDA dramatic command to look — the most theatrical of the four.
2 CHAINA keychain holds your keys — the most everyday compound of the four.
3 FORTEMeans 'strong' in Italian and French; the musical volume sense is the bait — here it's the thing you do best.
4 GIFTAn innate ability — not something wrapped under a tree.
5 LARGOReads as a slow musical tempo; here it's the Florida Keys island and classic Bogart film location.
6 LIMEKey lime pie is the official pie of Florida — tart, small, and very yellow.
7 PAGE'p.' is the standard abbreviation for page in citations and footnotes.
8 PARK'P' on a gear selector or a road sign stands for parking.
9 PHOSPHORUS'P' is phosphorus on the periodic table — atomic number 15.
10 PIANOIn music notation, 'p' means play softly — nothing to do with the instrument.
11 PRESTOThe magician's classic reveal word, borrowed from the Italian for 'quickly'.
12 SHAZAMLooks like a superhero name; here it's a vintage exclamation meaning 'just like that!'.
13 SIGNATUREA key signature tells musicians which sharps or flats apply throughout a piece.
14 STRENGTHThe most literal of the four — what you are naturally good at.
15 TALENTA natural aptitude; also what those TV competition shows are supposedly judging.
16 VOILÀFrench for 'there it is' — the most borrowed reveal word in English.
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 Something you say when pulling off a reveal.
See Group "THERE YOU HAVE IT!"
See WordBEHOLD
See WordPRESTO
See WordSHAZAM
See WordVOILÀ
See Hint What a natural does better than anyone else.
See Group KNACK
See WordFORTE
See WordGIFT
See WordSTRENGTH
See WordTALENT
See Hint One letter, four very different jobs.
See Group WHAT "P" MIGHT STAND FOR
See WordPAGE
See WordPARK
See WordPHOSPHORUS
See WordPIANO
See Hint One small word in front unlocks each of these.
See Group KEY ___
See WordCHAIN
See WordLARGO
See WordLIME
See WordSIGNATURE
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 FORTE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a musical dynamic meaning loud — that's the bait. Here the puzzle is using it in a completely different sense, one that has nothing to do with volume or performance.
2 SHAZAM Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of the DC superhero or the song-identifying app — but here it's being used as an old-fashioned exclamation of surprise or revelation, nothing to do with comics or tech.
3 PIANO Tap to see why this word traps.
You're picturing the instrument — that's the trap. Here the puzzle is using it in a symbolic sense that strips away the keyboard entirely and leaves just a single letter.
4 LARGO Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of the slow musical tempo — but the puzzle is using it in a completely different context, one that has nothing to do with sheet music or performance directions.

NYT Connections answers for August 26, 2026

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

Y "THERE YOU HAVE IT!" · Yellow · easiest
  • BEHOLD
  • PRESTO
  • SHAZAM
  • VOILÀ

BEHOLD, PRESTO, SHAZAM and VOILÀ are all exclamations used to announce that something has just appeared or been accomplished. SHAZAM is the sneakiest — most solvers reach for the superhero or the app before the old-school magic-word meaning clicks.

G KNACK · Green · easy
  • FORTE
  • GIFT
  • STRENGTH
  • TALENT

FORTE, GIFT, STRENGTH and TALENT all describe something a person is innately good at — the quality that sets them apart. FORTE is the trickiest — its musical meaning as a loud dynamic pulls solvers toward a music group that does not exist here.

B WHAT "P" MIGHT STAND FOR · Blue · medium
  • PAGE
  • PARK
  • PHOSPHORUS
  • PIANO

PAGE, PARK, PHOSPHORUS and PIANO are all things the letter 'P' can stand for as an abbreviation or symbol. PIANO is the most disorienting — 'p' in sheet music means soft and quiet, the opposite of the loud instrument most solvers picture.

P KEY ___ · Purple · hardest
  • CHAIN
  • LARGO
  • LIME
  • SIGNATURE

CHAIN, LARGO, LIME and SIGNATURE all follow the word KEY to form familiar compound words or phrases: keychain, Key Largo, Key lime, and key signature. LARGO is the toughest — solvers who know it as a slow musical tempo rarely think of Key Largo, the island made famous by the 1948 Bogart film.

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