NYT Connections Game #1156 (August 10) lands a tidy mix of obvious synonym clusters and one sneakily themed set that took the longest to spot.
Four clean groups today, from outright synonyms to ticketing terminology to invoice bits — and one collection that rewards lateral thinking.
SPOILER WARNING: The rest of this piece names every solution for Game #1156. If you want to solve it yourself first, stop reading now.
Today’s NYT Connections words
Sixteen tiles to sort — here they are in the order they appeared on the board.
- BILLY GOAT | BALANCE DUE | WILLY-NILLY | MAIL DELIVERY
- BILL TO | HELTER-SKELTER | WILL CALL | THE DEVIL
- DOCTOR STRANGE | ORDER NUMBER | ANY OLD HOW | MOBILE TICKET
- UNIT PRICE | COLONEL SANDERS | PRINT-AT-HOME | AT RANDOM
Today’s NYT Connections hints
One-line, spoiler-light nudges for each set.
- 🟡 Yellow: Four expressions that all mean “without planning” or “in no particular order.”
- 🟢 Green: Four common ways you might actually receive tickets for an event.
- 🔵 Blue: Four labels you would expect to find on an invoice or bill.
- 🟣 Purple: Four names or figures linked by a very specific facial feature.
Today’s NYT Connections group titles
The exact group titles for Game #1156.
- 🟡 Yellow: HAPHAZARDLY
- 🟢 Green: WAYS TO RECEIVE EVENT TICKETS
- 🔵 Blue: SECTIONS ON AN INVOICE
- 🟣 Purple: FAMOUS GOATEES
What are today’s NYT Connections answers?
Here are the four groups and their member words for Game #1156.
| Colour | Group | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟡 Yellow | HAPHAZARDLY | ANY OLD HOW, AT RANDOM, HELTER-SKELTER, WILLY-NILLY |
| 🟢 Green | WAYS TO RECEIVE EVENT TICKETS | MAIL DELIVERY, MOBILE TICKET, PRINT-AT-HOME, WILL CALL |
| 🔵 Blue | SECTIONS ON AN INVOICE | BALANCE DUE, BILL TO, ORDER NUMBER, UNIT PRICE |
| 🟣 Purple | FAMOUS GOATEES | BILLY GOAT, COLONEL SANDERS, DOCTOR STRANGE, THE DEVIL |
Today’s Connections — expert analysis
The natural entry point today is the Yellow cluster: ANY OLD HOW, AT RANDOM, HELTER-SKELTER and WILLY-NILLY shout “synonyms” the moment you see them. Those four are linguistically tight and were the quickest to lock in.
The trickiest set was Purple — FAMOUS GOATEES — because the connection is thematic and spans very different kinds of entries. BILLY GOAT reads like an animal, COLONEL SANDERS and DOCTOR STRANGE are named figures, and THE DEVIL is a concept; that surface variety makes the facial-hair link less obvious. Common decoys that slowed players were the ticketing words (MAIL DELIVERY, PRINT-AT-HOME, MOBILE TICKET, WILL CALL) which form a tidy Green group but also tempt you toward transactional thinking that overlaps with the invoice terms (BALANCE DUE, BILL TO, ORDER NUMBER, UNIT PRICE). If you get stuck early, a safe first guess is one of the obvious synonym tiles (WILLY-NILLY or HELTER-SKELTER) or one of the clear ticket methods (WILL CALL or PRINT-AT-HOME) — they anchor two separate groups and rapidly reduce ambiguity.
Difficulty: 2.5/5 — one very literal synonym set, one clear invoice set, one neat ticketing set and a single thematic trick that demands a moment of lateral thinking.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Game #1155)
For reference, here are the four groups from Game #1155.
- 🟡 Yellow (TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH): CHANGE TACK, COURSE-CORRECT, RECALIBRATE, SHIFT GEARS
- 🟢 Green (CLASSIC CHILDREN’S BOOKS): CAPS FOR SALE, CORDUROY, GOODNIGHT MOON, MADELINE
- 🔵 Blue (MOVIE SUBGENRES): BUDDY COP, NEO-NOIR, SPACE OPERA, SPAGHETTI WESTERN
- 🟣 Purple (THINGS PEOPLE TRY TO GET OUT OF): BAD DREAM, ESCAPE ROOM, JURY DUTY, LABYRINTH
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is a daily word-grouping puzzle where you must sort sixteen words into four thematic groups of four. Each solved group reveals a shared connection or category that ties its members together.
How to play NYT Connections
- Scan the sixteen tiles and look for an obvious quartet (synonyms, items in the same place, shared descriptors).
- Click or tap four words you think form a group; if correct they lock in, if not you lose an attempt for that round.
- Use confirmed groups to narrow down remaining possibilities until all four groups are found.
Past week’s NYT Connections answers
Missed a day? Full solutions from earlier this week, newest first.
Game #1154 — August 8
- 🟡 QUAINT EXPRESSIONS OF EXCITEMENT: HOT DOG, HURRAH, WHOOPEE, YAHOO
- 🟢 CONVEY: COUCH, EXPRESS, FRAME, PHRASE
- 🔵 WORDS ABBREVIATED WITH LETTERS AS HOMOPHONES: CUTIE, EASY, EFFECTS, I OWE YOU
- 🟣 SAFETY ___: BELT, GOGGLES, PIN, RAZOR
Game #1153 — August 7
- 🟡 COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE: FRAGRANCE, JAR, WAX, WICK
- 🟢 COLD THINGS: LIQUID NITROGEN, REFRIGERATOR, SNOW, SUNDAE
- 🔵 PARTS OF AN ELEVATOR: BUTTONS, CABLES, MOTOR, SHAFT
- 🟣 STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS: BUCKYBALL, JACKPOT, RAMBO, TOMATILLO
Game #1152 — August 6
- 🟡 CLASSIC WOODEN TOYS: ALPHABET BLOCKS, CUP-AND-BALL, JACOB’S LADDER, LINCOLN LOGS
- 🟢 PLACES WITH LANES: BOWLING ALLEY, FREEWAY, SUPERMARKET, SWIMMING POOL
- 🔵 ICONIC ROMAN LANDMARKS: COLOSSEUM, PANTHEON, SPANISH STEPS, TREVI FOUNTAIN
- 🟣 PLACES WITH NETS: BARCLAYS CENTER, FISHING BOAT, HOCKEY RINK, TENNIS COURT
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
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.
