NYT Connections · #1177

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1177) — August 31, 2026

By Sneha Rajput·August 31, 2026

“Start with the groups where the physical, real-world object is clearest — what you can hold, ship, or stamp — before moving to the fill-in-the-blank group at the end.”

NYT Connections hints for August 31, 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 →

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 CALIPHThe supreme political and religious leader in the Islamic caliphate tradition.

2 DUSTYou might think of dirt or cleaning, but DUST BOWL refers to the devastating 1930s drought region in the American Great Plains.

3 FRAGILEThe classic red-stamped warning that rarely stops anyone from throwing the box.

4 HEAVYLooks like a plain adjective, but here it's a printed label telling handlers to lift carefully.

5 KHANThe title of Mongol and Turkic rulers — most famously Genghis and Kublai.

6 LIPSTICKThe classic twist-up cosmetic tube — probably the first image that comes to mind for this group.

7 PERISHABLEThe warning that means the contents will spoil — usually paired with a cold-chain requirement.

8 PHARAOHThe god-king of ancient Egypt — a title so iconic it has crossed into pop culture, brand names and biology.

9 POKEReads as a verb meaning to jab, but POKE BOWL is the Hawaiian rice-and-fish dish that became a global food trend.

10 POSTERLooks like a notice or ad, but rolled posters travel in a cylindrical cardboard tube.

11 SALADSALAD BOWL is both a literal kitchen vessel and a metaphor for multicultural society — either way it completes the pattern.

12 SHOGUNThe military dictator of feudal Japan, who often held more real power than the emperor.

13 SUPERThe most famous BOWL of them all — the NFL championship game played every February.

14 TENNIS BALLSSold in a pressurised cylindrical canister — the pop when you open it is half the fun.

15 THIS SIDE UPThe only phrase in the group — the arrow on the box that nobody follows.

16 TOOTHPASTEThe squeezable tube in your bathroom — the most straightforward member of this group.

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

Check the bathroom cabinet and the sports cupboard — same shape everywhere.

See Group

THINGS THAT COME IN TUBES

See Word

LIPSTICK

See Word

POSTER

See Word

TENNIS BALLS

See Word

TOOTHPASTE

See Hint

The delivery driver needs to read these before setting the box down.

See Group

WARNINGS ON A SHIPPING BOX

See Word

FRAGILE

See Word

HEAVY

See Word

PERISHABLE

See Word

THIS SIDE UP

See Hint

These titles once commanded armies and entire civilisations.

See Group

HISTORICAL SOVEREIGN TITLES

See Word

CALIPH

See Word

KHAN

See Word

PHARAOH

See Word

SHOGUN

See Hint

One word turns each of these into something completely different.

See Group

___ BOWL

See Word

DUST

See Word

POKE

See Word

SALAD

See Word

SUPER

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 POSTER Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably picturing a wall notice or advertisement — that's the natural read. Here the puzzle is using it as something you roll up and slide into a cylinder.

2 POKE Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably reading it as a verb meaning to jab someone. Here it's being used as the first word of a compound phrase, not an action at all.

3 DUST Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably thinking of fine particles or the act of cleaning — both are common reads. Here it's the first half of a compound phrase tied to a specific historical event.

NYT Connections answers for August 31, 2026

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

Y THINGS THAT COME IN TUBES · Yellow · easiest

LIPSTICK
POSTER
TENNIS BALLS
TOOTHPASTE

LIPSTICK, POSTER, TENNIS BALLS and TOOTHPASTE all come packaged in tubes. POSTER is the sneakiest — most solvers picture a wall notice, but rolled posters ship in cardboard tubes just like the others.

G WARNINGS ON A SHIPPING BOX · Green · easy

FRAGILE
HEAVY
PERISHABLE
THIS SIDE UP

FRAGILE, HEAVY, PERISHABLE and THIS SIDE UP are all standard printed warnings found on shipping boxes. THIS SIDE UP is the only multi-word label here, which makes it stand out — and it's also the one most likely to be ignored in practice.

B HISTORICAL SOVEREIGN TITLES · Blue · medium

CALIPH
KHAN
PHARAOH
SHOGUN

CALIPH, KHAN, PHARAOH and SHOGUN are all historical titles held by sovereign rulers. Each comes from a distinct culture — Islamic, Mongol/Turkic, ancient Egyptian and feudal Japanese respectively — making this a genuinely global set of four.

P ___ BOWL · Purple · hardest

DUST
POKE
SALAD
SUPER

DUST, POKE, SALAD and SUPER all precede BOWL to form familiar compound phrases: DUST BOWL, POKE BOWL, SALAD BOWL and SUPER BOWL. The trap is that SALAD and POKE both feel like food-bowl types, which can make solvers miss DUST BOWL — a 1930s ecological disaster — and SUPER BOWL — the NFL championship — sitting in the same group.

Try another puzzle

Two more NazoKai hints, ready when you are.

Wordle

Today's hint ladder & answer

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Spelling Bee

Answers, pangram & word list

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