Tag: New York Times Games

NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for August 31, 2026
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle is easier if you know your basketball. Like the original Connections, the New York Times word game challenges players to find the common threads between words. The sports-focused edition resets at midnight, with a new and increasingly difficult set of words each day.

If you want to see the solution immediately, scroll to the end of this article. Otherwise, use the hints and category clues below to solve today’s puzzle yourself.

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

Connections: Sports Edition is a daily word game launched by The New York Times in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides sports coverage. It is available on web browsers and mobile devices.

Each puzzle contains 16 words that must be divided into four groups of four related words. The categories can cover topics such as names, titles, places, or sports-related terms. Several words may appear to fit together, but only one grouping is correct.

Correctly identifying a group removes those four words from the board. An incorrect guess counts as a mistake, and players can make up to four mistakes before the game ends.

Players can rearrange and shuffle the board to make connections easier to spot. The categories are also color-coded by difficulty: yellow is the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. As with Wordle, players can share their results on social media.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition hints

Here are clues for today’s four categories, without revealing the answers:
- Yellow: Rookie
- Green: Basketball coach
- Blue: He’s on fire
- Purple: Mr. and Ms. Thompson
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need more help? Today’s groups are:
- Yellow: Inexperienced
- Green: NBA Head Coaches
- Blue: Can Come After “Hot”
- Purple: ___Thompson
Looking for Wordle? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers

Ready for the solution? Today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle is number 707.

Inexperienced: GREEN, NEW, RAW, YOUNG

NBA Head Coaches: BICKERSTAFF, FINCH, KERR, REDICK

Can Come After “Hot”: CORNER, HAND, SEAT, STOVE

___Thompson: ALYSSA, AMEN, KLAY, TAGE

Don’t worry if you didn’t solve the puzzle today. A new Connections: Sports Edition challenge will be available tomorrow, along with more hints and answers.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See the hints and answers for today’s Strands.

For more puzzles, visit Mashable’s games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and more.

Not looking for today’s puzzle? Here’s the solution to the Connections puzzle for your preferred date.

Source: mashable.com
08/30/2026
NYT Connections Hints Today: Clues and Answers for August 30, 2026
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is not too difficult if you love a vineyard. Connections is one of the most popular New York Times word games, capturing the public’s attention with its challenge to find the common threads between words.

Like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words can become increasingly difficult. These hints, tips, and strategies can help you get over the hurdle.

If you want today’s puzzle solution, you can jump to the end of this article. If you would rather solve it yourself, keep reading for clues and strategies.

SEE ALSO:

Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

What is Connections?

The New York Times’ daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping create the game and bring it to the publication’s Games section.

Connections is available in web browsers and on mobile devices. Players must group 16 words into four sets of four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle contains four categories, and the groups can include anything from book titles and software to country names. Although several words may appear to fit together, only one answer is correct.

When a player correctly identifies all four words in a group, those words are removed from the board. A wrong guess counts as a mistake, and players can make up to four mistakes before the game ends.

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Players can rearrange and shuffle the board to make connections easier to spot. Each group is color-coded: yellow is the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. As with Wordle, players can share their results with friends on social media.

SEE ALSO:

NYT Pips hints, answers for August 30, 2026

Hints for today’s Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the answers? Try these clues:
- Yellow: Work up a sweat
- Green: Pour a glass
- Blue: Hop in!
- Purple: Wild Wild West
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Today’s Connections categories

Need more help? Today’s Connections groups fall into these categories:
- Yellow: Exercise facilities
- Green: Wine accessories
- Blue: Brands with bunny rabbit mascots
- Purple: Words on an old west wanted poster
Play our Big Guessing Game: Make your predictions now for a chance to win a new Apple Watch. Time’s running out!

Today’s Connections answers

This is your last chance to solve today’s puzzle before the answers are revealed.

Drumroll, please! The solution to today’s Connections #1176 is…

What is the answer to Connections today?
- Exercise facilities: ALTERNATOR, BATTERY, ENGINE, RADIATOR
- Wine accessories: CHOPPED, GREEK, HOUSE, WEDGE
- Keyboard keys: CONTROL, ESCAPE, SHIFT, SPACE
- Starting with figures from Greek myth: AT LAST, HERALD, HYDRANT, TRITONE
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today’s puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable has games now. Check out the games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to today’s Connections.

Source: mashable.com
08/29/2026
NYT Strands Hints and Answers for August 30, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are useful if you’re feeling hardly eager to solve the puzzle on your own.

Strands, The New York Times’ advanced word-search game, puts a twist on the classic format. Players form words by connecting letters up, down, left, right, or diagonally. Words can change direction, creating unusual shapes across the grid, and every letter must be used in one of the answers.

Each puzzle has a shared theme and includes a “spangram,” a special word or phrase that summarizes the theme and stretches across the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

Today’s NYT Strands theme hint

Hardly eager

Today’s answers describe feelings related to dislike or a lack of enthusiasm.

Today’s NYT Strands theme explained

The words describe not being a fan of something.

NYT Strands spangram hint

Today’s spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer

Today’s spangram is I’d Rather Not.

NYT Strands word list for August 30, 2026
- Loath
- Reluctant
- I’d Rather Not
- Averse
- Unwilling
- Hesitant
Strands provides only an opaque hint rather than a word list, making it a more time-consuming challenge than other New York Times games such as Wordle and Connections. These hints are designed to help you make progress at your preferred pace if you do not have at least 10 minutes to solve today’s puzzle.

For more daily puzzle help, Mashable’s Games page includes hints for Strands and other online games, including Mahjong, Sudoku, and the free crossword.

Source: mashable.com
08/29/2026
NYT Connections Hints and Answers for August 29, 2026
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle may be easier for mechanics, with one category focused on car parts. Connections is one of The New York Times’ most popular word games, challenging players to find the “common threads between words.”

Like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight with a new set of words that can become progressively more difficult. Use the hints and strategies below to solve today’s puzzle, or skip to the answer if you want the solution immediately.

What is NYT Connections?

Connections is a daily word game from The New York Times that has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping create the game and bring it to the publication’s Games section.

Players can access Connections in a web browser or on a mobile device. Each puzzle presents 16 words, which must be divided into four groups of four words that share a common connection.

The categories can include anything from book titles and software to country names. Although several words may appear to belong together, there is only one correct solution for each puzzle.

Correctly identifying a group removes those four words from the board. Each incorrect guess counts as a mistake, and players can make up to four mistakes before the game ends.

You can rearrange and shuffle the board to make potential connections easier to spot. The groups are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. As with Wordle, Connections results can be shared on social media.

Hints for today’s Connections categories

Want clues without being given the categories outright? Try these hints:
- Yellow: Auto parts
- Green: Leafy meals
- Blue: Type it up
- Purple: Ancient stories
Today’s Connections categories

Need more help? Today’s groups are:
- Yellow: Under the hood of a car
- Green: Kinds of salad
- Blue: Keyboard keys
- Purple: Starting with figures from Greek myth
NYT Connections answers for today

The solution to today’s Connections puzzle, No. 1174, is:
- Under the hood of a car: ALTERNATOR, BATTERY, ENGINE, RADIATOR
- Kinds of salad: CHOPPED, GREEK, HOUSE, WEDGE
- Keyboard keys: CONTROL, ESCAPE, SHIFT, SPACE
- Starting with figures from Greek myth: AT LAST, HERALD, HYDRANT, TRITON
Looking for more daily puzzles? Find today’s Wordle answer, get the NYT Strands hints you need, or visit Mashable’s games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, and free crossword puzzles.

Source: mashable.com
08/28/2026
NYT Connections Hints and Answers for August 28, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today may feel easier if you know Gen Z slang. Connections is one of The New York Times’ most popular word games, challenging players to find the common threads between words.

Like Wordle, Connections resets at midnight with a new set of words that becomes increasingly difficult. If you want to solve today’s puzzle yourself, use the clues and category hints below. If you would rather see the solution, you can skip to the end of the article.

What is NYT Connections?

Connections has become a social media hit since launching in The New York Times’ Games section. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping create the game.

Players can access Connections in a web browser or on a mobile device. Each puzzle presents 16 words that must be divided into four groups of four based on a shared connection.

The categories can include anything from book titles and software to country names. Several words may appear to belong together, but there is only one correct solution for each group.

Correctly identifying a group removes those four words from the board. An incorrect guess counts as a mistake, and players can make up to four mistakes before the game ends.

Players can rearrange and shuffle the board to make potential connections easier to spot. The groups are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. As with Wordle, players can share their results on social media.

Today’s Connections category hints

Want clues without being told the categories? Try these hints:
- Yellow: Don’t let the bed bugs bite!
- Green: Front to back
- Blue: Gen Z slang
- Purple: At the peak
Today’s Connections categories

Need more help? Today’s Connections groups are:
- Yellow: Bedtime parting words
- Green: Palindromes
- Blue: Modern add-ons/combining forms
- Purple: Top of the ___
Today’s NYT Connections answers

This is your last chance to solve the puzzle before seeing the answers.

The solution to Connections #1174 is:
- Bedtime parting words: NIGHT, REST EASY, SLEEP TIGHT, SWEET DREAMS
- Palindromes: MOM, NOON, SIS, TOP SPOT
- Modern add-ons/combining forms: BRO, CODED, ERA, MAXXING
- Top of the ___: HOUR, LINE, MORNING, POPS
Looking for more daily word puzzles? You can also find hints and answers for today’s Wordle and NYT Strands.

For more games, check out Mashable’s hub featuring Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and more.

Source: mashable.com
08/28/2026
NYT Strands Hints and Answers for August 27, 2026
NYT Strands Hints and Answers for August 27

Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy in an abstract way. Strands, The New York Times’ elevated word-search game, puts a twist on the classic word search. Players form words by linking letters up, down, left, right, or diagonally, with words able to change direction into quirky shapes and patterns.

Every letter in the grid belongs to an answer. The puzzle’s solutions share a common theme, along with the “spangram,” a special word or phrase that sums up the day’s theme and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

Strands provides an opaque hint without revealing the word list, making it a more time-consuming brain teaser than other NYT games such as Wordle and Connections. If you are stuck or do not have 10 or more minutes to solve today’s puzzle, use the hints below to make progress at your own pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme

Spiraling definitions

The answers are adjectives related to twisting.

Today’s NYT Strands theme explained

Today’s words describe a twist or something that can be twisted.

NYT Strands spangram hint

Is it vertical or horizontal? Today’s NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today’s spangram is What a Twist.

NYT Strands word list for August 27
- Hairstyle
- Dance
- Sprain
- Surprise
- Distortion
Looking for more daily online games? Visit Mashable’s Games page for additional hints, or explore its games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword puzzles, and more.

Source: mashable.com
08/26/2026
NYT Pips Hints and Answers for August 25, 2026
The New York Times’ Pips offers a fresh take on dominoes, turning the familiar tile game into a single-player daily puzzle. Released in August 2025, the game challenges players to arrange dominoes vertically or horizontally while satisfying conditions in color-coded spaces.

If you are stuck, Pips currently reveals the entire puzzle rather than providing individual hints. The step-by-step answers below offer a way to solve each difficulty level without skipping ahead.

How to play Pips

Players place domino tiles so they connect vertically or horizontally. Unlike traditional dominoes, touching tiles do not necessarily need to match. Instead, each color-coded area has a specific condition that the tiles within it must satisfy.

A domino may also cross between spaces, meaning only one half of the tile can be inside a particular color-coded area.
- Number: All the pips in the space must add up to the displayed number.
- Equal: Every domino half in the space must contain the same number of pips.
- Not Equal: Every domino half in the space must contain a different number of pips.
- Less than: Every domino half in the space must add up to less than the displayed number.
- Greater than: Every domino half in the space must add up to more than the displayed number.
Uncolored spaces have no conditions for the portions of dominoes placed within them.

Easy Pips hints and answers for August 25
- Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.
- Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 1-6, placed horizontally.
- Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 1-6, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed vertically.
- Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 0-1, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed horizontally.
- Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.
Medium Pips hints and answers for August 25
- Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally.
- Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed vertically.
- Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 2-3, placed horizontally; 3-6, placed vertically.
- Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 6-5, placed horizontally.
- Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed vertically.
- Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 3-6, placed vertically; 1-6, placed horizontally.
- Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 1-6, placed horizontally.
Hard Pips hints and answers for August 25
- Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 0-6, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed vertically.
- Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed vertically.
- Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 2-0, placed vertically; 6-4, placed horizontally.
- Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally; 0-4, placed horizontally.
- Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.
- Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 6-6, placed horizontally.
- Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally; 1-1, placed horizontally.
- Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed vertically; 2-5, placed horizontally.
For more puzzles, visit Mashable’s games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords and more.

Source: mashable.com
08/24/2026
NYT Connections Hints Today: Clues and Answers for August 24, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle for today is relatively manageable, especially if you are a sports fan. Connections is one of The New York Times’ most popular word games, challenging players to identify the “common threads between words.”

Like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, with a new set of words becoming progressively more difficult. These hints and strategies can help you solve today’s puzzle. If you want the solution immediately, skip to the answer section below. Otherwise, keep reading for clues to help you solve it yourself.

What is NYT Connections?

Connections is The New York Times’ daily word game, which has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping create the game and bring it to the publication’s Games section.

Players can access Connections through web browsers and mobile devices. Each puzzle contains 16 words that must be divided into four groups of four words sharing a common connection.

The categories can include book titles, software, country names and many other subjects. Several words may appear to fit together, but only one solution is correct. Correctly identifying a group removes those four words from the board, while an incorrect guess counts as a mistake. Players can make up to four mistakes before the game ends.

The board can be rearranged and shuffled to make potential connections easier to spot. Groups are also color-coded by difficulty: yellow is the easiest, followed by green, blue and purple. As with Wordle, players can share their results on social media.

Hints for today’s NYT Connections categories

Need a clue without being given the categories outright? Try these hints:
- Yellow: Sea creatures
- Green: Central
- Blue: WWE
- Purple: Practice your swing
Today’s NYT Connections categories

Need a little more help? Today’s Connections groups are:
- Yellow: Fish
- Green: Principal
- Blue: Pro-wrestling lingo
- Purple: Letter homophone plus tennis term
NYT Connections answers for today

This is your final chance to solve the puzzle before seeing the answers.

The solution to today’s Connections puzzle, No. 1170, is:
- Fish: MULLET, PIKE, SOLE, TANG
- Principal: ARCH, CHIEF, MAIN, PRIME
- Pro-wrestling lingo: FACE, HEEL, JOBBER, KAYFABE
- Letter homophone plus tennis term: BESET, DESERVE, EX-LOVE, EYELET
Looking for more word games? You can also find today’s Wordle answer and NYT Strands hints, along with Mahjong, Sudoku and free crossword puzzles in Mashable’s games hub.

Source: mashable.com
08/24/2026
NYT Strands Hints and Answers for August 22, 2026
NYT Strands Hints and Answers for August 22, 2026: “Peak Americana”

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle offers a treat for mountain enthusiasts. The New York Times’ elevated word-search game challenges players to find themed words by linking letters in any direction—up, down, left, right, or diagonally—with words that can change direction mid-path. Every letter in the grid belongs to an answer, and a special “spangram” spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically to summarize the day’s theme.

Today’s Strands Theme: Peak Americana

The hint for August 22, 2026, reads: Peak Americana. The theme centers on adjectives that describe famous mountain peaks in America. Each solution word corresponds to a well-known U.S. mountain range.

Spangram Direction and Answer

Is the spangram vertical or horizontal? Today’s spangram runs horizontally across the grid.

Spangram answer: Mountain Range

Complete Word List for August 22, 2026
- Green
- White
- Smoky
- Sawtooth
- Cascade
- Rocky
These six adjectives name major American mountain ranges: the Green Mountains (Vermont), White Mountains (New Hampshire/Maine), Smoky Mountains (Tennessee/North Carolina), Sawtooth Range (Idaho), Cascade Range (Pacific Northwest), and the Rocky Mountains (spanning multiple western states).

How Strands Differs from Wordle and Connections

Unlike Wordle or Connections, Strands provides only an opaque hint without a word list. This design creates a brain-teasing experience that typically takes longer to solve—often 10 minutes or more for players working through the full grid.

More Daily Puzzle Resources

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable’s Games page offers additional hints for Strands, Wordle, and Connections, plus a games hub featuring Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and more.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to the latest Strands puzzle.
08/21/2026