NYT Connections Game #1157 (2026-08-11) mixes obvious TV-network entries with a sly homophone set and an auctioneer’s chant, so you’ll oscillate between quick wins and hair-tearing choices. Today’s board looks friendly at first glance, but a couple of decoys will slow you down.
Read on for the full breakdown — group titles, the exact answers, and where to spend your first safe guess.
SPOILER WARNING: The sections below reveal all four correct groups and every answer from today’s puzzle. If you want to play first, stop now.
Today’s NYT Connections words
Here are the 16 words that appeared on the board, in the order given.
- TOAST | AYE | BRAVO | SOLD
- BET | DONE | HISTORY | KNOWS
- HARE | GOING | THROUGH | TWICE
- ONCE | SUNK | TUNG | USA
Today’s NYT Connections hints
Four spoiler-light hints to nudge you toward each category.
- 🟡 Yellow: All four words suggest something is finished and beyond rescue.
- 🟢 Green: These four are names you’ll find on basic cable television.
- 🔵 Blue: Words you might hear chanted rapidly by an auctioneer.
- 🟣 Purple: Each word sounds like a body part you’d find on a face.
Today’s NYT Connections group titles
The four official group titles for Game #1157.
- 🟡 Yellow: DOOMED
- 🟢 Green: BASIC CABLE CHANNELS
- 🔵 Blue: WORDS IN AN AUCTIONEER’S CHANT
- 🟣 Purple: HOMOPHONES OF FACIAL FEATURES
What are today’s NYT Connections answers?
Below are the confirmed groupings for Game #1157.
| Colour | Group | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟡 Yellow | DOOMED | DONE, SUNK, THROUGH, TOAST |
| 🟢 Green | BASIC CABLE CHANNELS | BET, BRAVO, HISTORY, USA |
| 🔵 Blue | WORDS IN AN AUCTIONEER’S CHANT | GOING, ONCE, SOLD, TWICE |
| 🟣 Purple | HOMOPHONES OF FACIAL FEATURES | AYE, HARE, KNOWS, TUNG |
Today’s Connections — expert analysis
The natural entry point today was the BASIC CABLE CHANNELS set: BET, BRAVO, HISTORY and USA are literal channel names and stand out immediately. If you spotted two of them early you could confidently clear the whole green group and reduce ambiguity on the rest of the board.
The hardest group was the HOMOPHONES OF FACIAL FEATURES. That set hinges on hearing rather than reading: AYE → eye, HARE → hair, KNOWS → nose, TUNG → tongue. TUNG’s spelling in particular is a great decoy because it looks like a surname or a mineral term at first glance, so players who don’t shift to phonetics can miss the link. Overlaps and tempting misleads were plentiful: SOLD could plausibly belong to DOOMED (as in “it’s gone”) or to the auction-chant set, and ONCE/TWICE/GOING are easy to overthink until you hear them in context. TOAST is another slick decoy for DOOMED because it appears in everyday, non-idiomatic uses (toast for breakfast), which delays the “ruined” reading.
If you’re stuck, spend your first safe guess on a Green channel — BET or HISTORY is the most conservative pick — then test one of the auction phrases like SOLD to force a decision between auctioneer and doom-related interpretations.
Difficulty: 3.5/5 — a mix of easy channel cues and one fiddly phonetic set makes the puzzle middling-hard.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Game #1156)
For reference, here are the four groupings from Game #1156.
- 🟡 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
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle that challenges players to sort 16 words into four related groups of four. The categories range from obvious names and phrases to sly wordplay and phonetic links.
How to play NYT Connections
- Select four words you think form a group; you have a limited number of attempts.
- Correct selections lock in; incorrect picks reduce remaining attempts for that round.
- Use process of elimination after locking groups to infer the remaining categories.
Past week’s NYT Connections answers
Missed a day? Full solutions from earlier this week, newest first.
Game #1155 — August 9
- 🟡 TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH: CHANGE TACK, COURSE-CORRECT, RECALIBRATE, SHIFT GEARS
- 🟢 CLASSIC CHILDREN’S BOOKS: CAPS FOR SALE, CORDUROY, GOODNIGHT MOON, MADELINE
- 🔵 MOVIE SUBGENRES: BUDDY COP, NEO-NOIR, SPACE OPERA, SPAGHETTI WESTERN
- 🟣 THINGS PEOPLE TRY TO GET OUT OF: BAD DREAM, ESCAPE ROOM, JURY DUTY, LABYRINTH
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
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.
