A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Wednesday, August 12 (game #1158).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1159) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

  • COMFORT
  • EASE
  • SHOULDER
  • INCH
  • MILES
  • CARRY ON
  • FEET
  • CHECKED BAGS
  • CREEP
  • TURKEY
  • UPGRADE
  • MAKE IT
  • PERSIST
  • EDGE
  • LOUNGE
  • CONTINUE

NYT Connections today (game #1159) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW:Press onwards
  • GREEN:Gradual progress
  • BLUE:Frequent flyer gifts
  • PURPLE:Begin with the opposite of “hot”

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

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NYT Connections today (game #1159) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW:PERSEVERE
  • GREEN:MOVE SLOWLY (UP TO)
  • BLUE:AIRLINE STATUS PERKS
  • PURPLE:"COLD" THINGS, IN IDIOMS

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1159) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1159, are…

  • YELLOW: PERSEVERE:CARRY ON, CONTINUE, MAKE IT, PERSIST
  • GREEN: MOVE SLOWLY (UP TO):CREEP, EASE, EDGE, INCH
  • BLUE: AIRLINE STATUS PERKS:CHECKED BAGS, LOUNGE, MILES, UPGRADE

  • PURPLE: "COLD" THINGS, IN IDIOMS:COMFORT, FEET, SHOULDER, TURKEY

  • My rating:Hard

  • My score:2 mistakes

Now that this game is completed I can’t believe I completely missed “COLD” THINGS IN IDIOMS while I exerted all my energies on muddling together the other three groups.

I made mistakes for all of them — CONTINUE instead of EASE for MOVE SLOWLY (UP TO); SHOULDER (I was thinking of soldiering on, no doubt) instead of MAKE IT for PERSEVERE; and COMFORT instead of MILES for AIRLINE STATUS PERKS.

I have only ever been in an airport LOUNGE once and it felt like that episode of The Simpsons when Homer gets a glimpse at the life beautiful people live. The beautiful people would probably be less impressed by free shrimp than I was.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, August 12, 2026, game #1158)

  • YELLOW: HOLD ONTO, AS A FEELING:FOSTER, HARBOR, MAINTAIN, NURSE
  • GREEN: KINDS OF FROGS:BULL, GREEN, POISON DART, TREE
  • BLUE: NBC SITCOM SURNAMES:BENES, BING, LEMON, SCOTT
  • PURPLE: STARTING WITH AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSES:FINE PRINT, GOODBYE, GREAT WHITE, OKAYAMA

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Johnny is a freelance pop culture journalist who has been writing about the internet, music, football and famous people since the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. Previously known by the pseudonym the Pop Detective, his journalistic career began making up stories about Madonna's addiction to sausage rolls (this is not true by the way). A man of few talents, his career is rich and various and includes the highs of interviewing Elton John and Blur; and the lows of interviewing Right Said Fred, appearing on a Channel 5 documentary about Peter Kay, and fact-checking the instruction manual for a German cooker. Somehow still affording to live in North London he is at his happiest riding his bicycle and shouting at pigeons.