A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #792
hints & answers for August 11, 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 11, 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 N, P, S and V. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

NORMAL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ORDINARY

Reveal all four words
  • NORMAL
  • PLAIN
  • STANDARD
  • VANILLA

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

DESERT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ABANDON

Reveal all four words
  • DESERT
  • DUMP
  • MAROON
  • STRAND

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with C, M, V and W. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

COUNT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SPECS ON CONSUMER PACKAGING

Reveal all four words
  • COUNT
  • MEASURE
  • VOLUME
  • WEIGHT

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

AGES belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

DARK ___

Reveal all four words
  • AGES
  • CHOCOLATE
  • HORSE
  • MATTER

Each entry comes after "DARK" to form a word, expression or name: AGES → DARK AGES; CHOCOLATE → DARK CHOCOLATE; HORSE → DARK HORSE; MATTER → DARK MATTER.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: ORDINARY
  • Green: ABANDON
  • Blue: SPECS ON CONSUMER PACKAGING
  • Purple: DARK ___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

ORDINARY

NORMAL · PLAIN · STANDARD · VANILLA

Green

ABANDON

DESERT · DUMP · MAROON · STRAND

Blue

SPECS ON CONSUMER PACKAGING

COUNT · MEASURE · VOLUME · WEIGHT

Purple

DARK ___

AGES · CHOCOLATE · HORSE · MATTER

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.