A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1154
hints & answers for August 8, 2026

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 8, 2026. 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 H, H, W and Y. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

HOT DOG belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

QUAINT EXPRESSIONS OF EXCITEMENT

Reveal all four words
  • HOT DOG
  • HURRAH
  • WHOOPEE
  • YAHOO

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

COUCH belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CONVEY

Reveal all four words
  • COUCH
  • EXPRESS
  • FRAME
  • PHRASE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with C, E, E and I. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CUTIE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WORDS ABBREVIATED WITH LETTERS AS HOMOPHONES

Reveal all four words
  • CUTIE
  • EASY
  • EFFECTS
  • I OWE YOU

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

BELT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SAFETY ___

Reveal all four words
  • BELT
  • GOGGLES
  • PIN
  • RAZOR

Each entry comes after "SAFETY" to form a word, expression or name: BELT → SAFETY BELT; GOGGLES → SAFETY GOGGLES; PIN → SAFETY PIN; RAZOR → SAFETY RAZOR.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: QUAINT EXPRESSIONS OF EXCITEMENT
  • Green: CONVEY
  • Blue: WORDS ABBREVIATED WITH LETTERS AS HOMOPHONES
  • Purple: SAFETY ___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

QUAINT EXPRESSIONS OF EXCITEMENT

HOT DOG · HURRAH · WHOOPEE · YAHOO

Green

CONVEY

COUCH · EXPRESS · FRAME · PHRASE

Blue

WORDS ABBREVIATED WITH LETTERS AS HOMOPHONES

CUTIE · EASY · EFFECTS · I OWE YOU

Purple

SAFETY ___

BELT · GOGGLES · PIN · RAZOR

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.