NYT Connections Game #1158 — August 12 arrives with a tidy set of 16 words that hide four neat categories. If you played today, you probably felt a few fast clicks and at least one slow, reluctant stare.
There’s a clear early entry and a trickier cluster that depends on spotting positive words at the start of longer phrases. Read on for the groups, hints and a quick strategy guide.
SPOILER WARNING: The sections below give away today’s Connections groups and all answers. If you want to solve without spoilers, stop now.
Today’s NYT Connections words
Here are the 16 words that appeared on the board.
- LEMON | TREE | HARBOR | FINE PRINT
- GREAT WHITE | GREEN | GOODBYE | NURSE
- BULL | BING | FOSTER | SCOTT
- BENES | OKAYAMA | POISON DART | MAINTAIN
Today’s NYT Connections hints
Four spoiler-light nudges — one per group.
- 🟡 Yellow: These verbs all work when you’re keeping a feeling alive instead of letting it go.
- 🟢 Green: Think specific kinds of frogs — some are described by colour, habitat or a distinctive toxin.
- 🔵 Blue: Four surnames you’d recognize from NBC sitcoms.
- 🟣 Purple: Each entry begins with a short word people use to register agreement or assent.
Today’s NYT Connections group titles
The four official group titles for Game #1158.
- 🟡 Yellow: “HOLD ONTO, AS A FEELING”
- 🟢 Green: “KINDS OF FROGS”
- 🔵 Blue: “NBC SITCOM SURNAMES”
- 🟣 Purple: “STARTING WITH AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSES”
What are today’s NYT Connections answers?
Below are the four solved groups and their member words.
| Colour | Group | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟡 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 |
Today’s Connections — expert analysis
The cleanest entry here is the frog set (🟢). Once you spot BULL and POISON DART together, GREEN and TREE fall into place quickly — they’re literal descriptors of well-known frog types and don’t stretch the imagination. That made this the fastest group to lock in for many players.
The toughest cluster was the purple set. Its connector — words that begin with short affirmative responses like “fine,” “good,” “great” and “okay” — is subtle because each positive word lives as part of a longer phrase (FINE PRINT, GOODBYE, GREAT WHITE, OKAYAMA). Those longer phrases are strongly suggestive of other themes (farewells, sharks, place names, legalese), so GOODBYE and GREAT WHITE especially act as effective decoys. Other traps: GREEN and TREE are double-duty words that tempt you toward non-frog meanings, and BING or LEMON can feel like obvious pop-culture or culinary leads before you notice the NBC-surname pattern.
If you’re stuck early, make your first safe guess in the frog cluster — POISON DART is the least ambiguous frog term and a high-value anchor. From there, BULL or GREEN will usually follow; leave the purple set for later once you’ve cleared the obvious naturals.
Difficulty: 3.5/5 — a fast green group plus a subtle, easily overlooked purple connector make this one a mix of easy and clever.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Game #1157)
A quick recap of Game #1157’s groups.
- 🟡 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
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle where players sort 16 words into four related groups. Each group shares a common theme or linguistic trait, and the challenge is to spot those connections with as few guesses as possible.
How to play NYT Connections
- Select words you think belong together to form a group.
- Confirm groups when you’re confident; incorrect guesses cost you progress or turns.
- Repeat until all 16 words are sorted into four groups.
Past week’s NYT Connections answers
Missed a day? Full solutions from earlier this week, newest first.
Game #1156 — August 10
- 🟡 HAPHAZARDLY: ANY OLD HOW, AT RANDOM, HELTER-SKELTER, WILLY-NILLY
- 🟢 WAYS TO RECEIVE EVENT TICKETS: MAIL DELIVERY, MOBILE TICKET, PRINT-AT-HOME, WILL CALL
- 🔵 SECTIONS ON AN INVOICE: BALANCE DUE, BILL TO, ORDER NUMBER, UNIT PRICE
- 🟣 FAMOUS GOATEES: BILLY GOAT, COLONEL SANDERS, DOCTOR STRANGE, THE DEVIL
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
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.
