A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #812
hints & answers for August 31, 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 31, 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, F and R. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BASH belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CRITICIZE HARSHLY

Reveal all four words
  • BASH
  • BLAST
  • FLAME
  • ROAST

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BOARD belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

COMMON COMPONENTS OF BOARD GAMES

Reveal all four words
  • BOARD
  • CARDS
  • DICE
  • PIECES

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

AXES belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

HETERONYMS

Reveal all four words
  • AXES
  • BASS
  • COORDINATE
  • DOES

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

CHOP belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___STICKS

Reveal all four words
  • CHOP
  • DRUM
  • FIDDLE
  • FISH

Each entry comes before "STICKS" to form a word, expression or name: CHOP → CHOP STICKS; DRUM → DRUM STICKS; FIDDLE → FIDDLE STICKS; FISH → FISH STICKS.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: CRITICIZE HARSHLY
  • Green: COMMON COMPONENTS OF BOARD GAMES
  • Blue: HETERONYMS
  • Purple: ___STICKS

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

CRITICIZE HARSHLY

BASH · BLAST · FLAME · ROAST

Green

COMMON COMPONENTS OF BOARD GAMES

BOARD · CARDS · DICE · PIECES

Blue

HETERONYMS

AXES · BASS · COORDINATE · DOES

Purple

___STICKS

CHOP · DRUM · FIDDLE · FISH

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.