Game #1153, August 7 delivers a tidy set of four groups that mix the obvious with one twisty corner. Today’s board rewards quick spotting — and punishing hesitation.
Whether you cleared a pair in the first minute or hit a stubborn wall, there’s a satisfying “aha” to be had. Read on for the full breakdown and where players typically stumble.
SPOILER WARNING: The rest of this piece names every group and every solution for Connections #1153. If you want to solve unaided, stop now.
Today’s NYT Connections words
Here are the 16 words that appeared on the board today.
- JACKPOT | MOTOR | SNOW | JAR
- WICK | SUNDAE | RAMBO | BUTTONS
- TOMATILLO | SHAFT | WAX | BUCKYBALL
- LIQUID NITROGEN | FRAGRANCE | CABLES | REFRIGERATOR
Today’s NYT Connections hints
Spoiler-light nudges for each colour — one line each.
- 🟡 Yellow: Think of items you’d expect to find in a scented package you might light or let melt slowly.
- 🟢 Green: Four entries that belong in something very cold or are typically kept or served icy.
- 🔵 Blue: Each word names a component found in the mechanism that moves people between floors.
- 🟣 Purple: Every word begins with a short animal name often used to denote a male — the animal appears at the start.
Today’s NYT Connections group titles
The exact group titles for Game #1153.
- 🟡 Yellow: COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE
- 🟢 Green: COLD THINGS
- 🔵 Blue: PARTS OF AN ELEVATOR
- 🟣 Purple: STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS
What are today’s NYT Connections answers?
Below is the full answer table for Game #1153.
| Colour | Group | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟡 Yellow | COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE | FRAGRANCE, JAR, WAX, WICK |
| 🟢 Green | COLD THINGS | LIQUID NITROGEN, REFRIGERATOR, SNOW, SUNDAE |
| 🔵 Blue | PARTS OF AN ELEVATOR | BUTTONS, CABLES, MOTOR, SHAFT |
| 🟣 Purple | STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS | BUCKYBALL, JACKPOT, RAMBO, TOMATILLO |
Today’s Connections — expert analysis
The easiest entry was the candle-related set: FRAGRANCE, JAR, WAX and WICK hang together cleanly and share a sensory logic that most solvers spot immediately. The elevator components — BUTTONS, CABLES, MOTOR and SHAFT — are also a natural grouping once you think about the mechanics of a lift, so between those two you can typically clear half the board quickly.
The real sting was the purple group. STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS forces you to look at word beginnings instead of meanings: BUCKYBALL (buck), JACKPOT (jack), RAMBO (ram) and TOMATILLO (tom) all hide short male-animal names at their starts, which is a less obvious pattern than thematic meaning. That subtle prefix trick is why players often misfire: JACKPOT looks like a standalone concept, BUCKYBALL could be mistaken for a science/ball-structure term, and TOMATILLO just feels culinary — none scream “animal prefix” at first glance.
Watch for decoys that overlap groups: JAR can pull you toward REFRIGERATOR ideas (preserving, containers), SUNDAE is clearly cold but also a dessert that tempts alternate food-group guesses, and MOTOR might read as vehicle-related rather than an elevator part. If you’re stuck, bank a safe early guess on the candle cluster — WAX or WICK is a low-risk first move — then clear the elevator set next; that narrows the board so the prefix trick becomes visible.
Difficulty: 3.5/5 — mostly straightforward categories with one clever prefix-based outlier.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Game #1152)
For reference, here are the solutions from Game #1152.
- 🟡 Yellow (CLASSIC WOODEN TOYS): ALPHABET BLOCKS, CUP-AND-BALL, JACOB’S LADDER, LINCOLN LOGS
- 🟢 Green (PLACES WITH LANES): BOWLING ALLEY, FREEWAY, SUPERMARKET, SWIMMING POOL
- 🔵 Blue (ICONIC ROMAN LANDMARKS): COLOSSEUM, PANTHEON, SPANISH STEPS, TREVI FOUNTAIN
- 🟣 Purple (PLACES WITH NETS): BARCLAYS CENTER, FISHING BOAT, HOCKEY RINK, TENNIS COURT
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is a daily word game where players group 16 seemingly unrelated words into four sets of four. Each set shares a common link or theme, which can be semantic, morphological, or based on wordplay.
How to play NYT Connections
- Scan the 16 words and look for obvious thematic connections or repeated prefixes/suffixes.
- Select four words you think belong together; a correct group is locked in, a wrong guess costs you a strike.
- Repeat until you find all four groups — use elimination and safe first guesses to narrow possibilities.
Past week’s NYT Connections answers
Missed a day? Full solutions from earlier this week, newest first.
Game #1151 — August 5
- 🟡 NAVIGATE: DRIVE, MANEUVER, PILOT, STEER
- 🟢 JEANS BRANDS: DIESEL, GAP, LUCKY, WRANGLER
- 🔵 HOUSE STYLES: CAPE COD, MISSION, RANCH, TUDOR
- 🟣 WHAT “STOCK” MIGHT REFER TO: BROTH, CATTLE, INVESTMENT, MERCHANDISE
Game #1150 — August 4
- 🟡 LONG CYLINDRICAL THINGS: CIGARETTE, FOAM ROLLER, POOL NOODLE, PRETZEL ROD
- 🟢 ICONIC NYC SIGHTS: BODEGA, PIGEON, SUBWAY STATION, TAXI CAB
- 🔵 THINGS WITH PEDALS: PIANO, SEWING MACHINE, SWAN BOAT, UNICYCLE
- 🟣 V-SHAPED THINGS: ANGLE BRACKET, CHEVRON, GOOSE FORMATION, PEACE SIGN
Game #1149 — August 3
- 🟡 ROAD LESS TRAVELED: ALLEY, BACKSTREET, BYWAY, LANE
- 🟢 SHADES OF GREEN: FOREST, HUNTER, MINT, SAGE
- 🔵 “Y” IS THE ONLY VOWEL: FLY BY, MYRRH, NSYNC, RHYTHM
- 🟣 STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR “PESTER”: BUG FIX, NAG CHAMPA, NEEDLESS, TEA SET
Game #1148 — August 2
- 🟡 FILLER WORDS: ACTUALLY, LIKE, SO, WELL
- 🟢 BY MEANS OF: BY, PER, THROUGH, VIA
- 🔵 ___ MODE: AIRPLANE, BEAST, DARK, À LA
- 🟣 U.S. AIRPORT CODES PLUS STARTING LETTER: ASEA, FLAX, LORD, OLGA
Game #1147 — August 1
- 🟡 BEDDING: COMFORTER, SHAM, SHEET, THROW
- 🟢 OSCAR-WINNING ACTORS SINCE 2010: BALE, JORDAN, PHOENIX, WALTZ
- 🔵 PERFORM SOME HOLE MACHINING OPERATIONS: BORE, COUNTERSINK, DRILL, REAM
- 🟣 STARTING WITH BREAD SHAPES: BOULEVARD, BUNDLE, LOAFER, ROLLS-ROYCE
Game #1146 — July 31
- 🟡 CONSTRUCT: FASHION, MODEL, MOLD, SHAPE
- 🟢 SUPER MARIO FIGURES: DINOSAUR, MUSHROOM, PLUMBER, PRINCESS
- 🔵 FRUITS PLUS STARTING LETTER: DAPPLE, JDATE, SLIME, SPEAR
- 🟣 STARTING WITH MERRIMENTS: CHEERIOS, FUNGUS, GLEEK, JOYSTICK
More daily puzzle help from HashTechWave
- Today’s NYT Strands hints, spangram and answers
- Today’s NYT Spelling Bee answers and pangram
- Today’s Wordle hints, clues and answer
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What time does a new NYT Connections puzzle unlock?
A brand-new puzzle drops every single night at midnight local time across your specific region’s time zone on NYT Connection official site.
Why do some words seem to fit into two different groups?
The puzzle is specifically designed to include “decoys” or overlapping vocabulary. Always look for a backup configuration of words before locking in an early guess to protect your attempt counter.
Can I review answers to older puzzles?
Yes — we keep the past week of solutions right here on this page. Scroll up to the “Past week’s NYT Connections answers” section for every recent grid, newest first, plus a full breakdown of yesterday’s puzzle.
