A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1163
hints & answers for August 17, 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 17, 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, M, T and Z. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

HUDDLE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

VIDEO CALL PLATFORMS

Reveal all four words
  • HUDDLE
  • MEET
  • TEAMS
  • ZOOM

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

FORMULA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SPREADSHEET FEATURES

Reveal all four words
  • FORMULA
  • FUNCTION
  • MACRO
  • SCRIPT

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

DOLLY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

FIRST NAMES OF COUNTRY MUSIC LEGENDS

Reveal all four words
  • DOLLY
  • JOHNNY
  • PATSY
  • WILLIE

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BIRDIE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

STARTING WITH PETS

Reveal all four words
  • BIRDIE
  • CATTLE
  • DOGIE
  • FISHEYE
Show categories only
  • Yellow: VIDEO CALL PLATFORMS
  • Green: SPREADSHEET FEATURES
  • Blue: FIRST NAMES OF COUNTRY MUSIC LEGENDS
  • Purple: STARTING WITH PETS

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

VIDEO CALL PLATFORMS

HUDDLE · MEET · TEAMS · ZOOM

Green

SPREADSHEET FEATURES

FORMULA · FUNCTION · MACRO · SCRIPT

Blue

FIRST NAMES OF COUNTRY MUSIC LEGENDS

DOLLY · JOHNNY · PATSY · WILLIE

Purple

STARTING WITH PETS

BIRDIE · CATTLE · DOGIE · FISHEYE

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.