A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #787
hints & answers for August 6, 2025

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

This reference always shows August 6, 2025. It is released in at least one timezone; every answer stays closed until you reveal it.

Which group has you stuck?

Pick a colour. Reveal one step at a time.

Yellow group

Straightforward

1/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, B, B and P. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BADGE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ACCESSORY WITH A POINTY FASTENER

Reveal all four words
  • BADGE
  • BROOCH
  • BUTTON
  • PIN

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, N, R and R. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BAIT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

TEASE

Reveal all four words
  • BAIT
  • NEEDLE
  • RAG
  • RIB

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with C, H, J and U. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CROSS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BOXING PUNCHES

Reveal all four words
  • CROSS
  • HOOK
  • JAB
  • UPPERCUT

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with S, S, S and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

SHAMMY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

MUSCLE NICKNAMES PLUS “S”

Reveal all four words
  • SHAMMY
  • SPEC
  • SQUAD
  • STRAP
Show categories only
  • Yellow: ACCESSORY WITH A POINTY FASTENER
  • Green: TEASE
  • Blue: BOXING PUNCHES
  • Purple: MUSCLE NICKNAMES PLUS “S”

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

ACCESSORY WITH A POINTY FASTENER

BADGE · BROOCH · BUTTON · PIN

Green

TEASE

BAIT · NEEDLE · RAG · RIB

Blue

BOXING PUNCHES

CROSS · HOOK · JAB · UPPERCUT

Purple

MUSCLE NICKNAMES PLUS “S”

SHAMMY · SPEC · SQUAD · STRAP

This puzzle’s recorded solution

The date and puzzle number identify this exact board. Use the individual group controls to compare its recorded categories and words, then return to the archive to find another puzzle.

About the answers and hints

Categories and answers follow the recorded NYT puzzle. Our hints are independent: some are original category clues, while others give the first letters of the four words. Each hint is labelled so you can choose how much help to take.

Group colours follow the puzzle’s yellow, green, blue and purple order, from the most straightforward to the trickiest. Your own experience may differ. The reference tiles may appear in a different order from your game. Picture puzzles have separately hidden descriptions, since a description can give away the wordplay.

The daily page starts with the UTC puzzle date and, with JavaScript enabled, checks the puzzle for your local time zone. Every reveal starts closed when the date changes. Play Connections at The New York Times or contact us about a correction.