A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #802
hints & answers for August 21, 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 21, 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, F, G and N. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BOO-BOO belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BLUNDER

Reveal all four words
  • BOO-BOO
  • FLUB
  • GAFFE
  • NO-NO

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with D, F, L and N. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

DREAM belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

LANDS OF THE IMAGINATION

Reveal all four words
  • DREAM
  • FANTASY
  • LA-LA
  • NEVER NEVER

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

INSECT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS WITH ANTENNA/E

Reveal all four words
  • INSECT
  • RADIO TOWER
  • SATELLITE DISH
  • TELETUBBY

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

CHEESE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ DOODLE

Reveal all four words
  • CHEESE
  • DIPSY
  • GOOGLE
  • YANKEE

Each entry comes before "DOODLE" to form a word, expression or name: CHEESE → CHEESE DOODLE; DIPSY → DIPSY DOODLE; GOOGLE → GOOGLE DOODLE; YANKEE → YANKEE DOODLE.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: BLUNDER
  • Green: LANDS OF THE IMAGINATION
  • Blue: THINGS WITH ANTENNA/E
  • Purple: ___ DOODLE

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

BLUNDER

BOO-BOO · FLUB · GAFFE · NO-NO

Green

LANDS OF THE IMAGINATION

DREAM · FANTASY · LA-LA · NEVER NEVER

Blue

THINGS WITH ANTENNA/E

INSECT · RADIO TOWER · SATELLITE DISH · TELETUBBY

Purple

___ DOODLE

CHEESE · DIPSY · GOOGLE · YANKEE

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.