Today's Full Answer
What Made Today's Purple Group Tricky
The "STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR 'PESTER'" group was a tricky one to crack, as it required a keen understanding of wordplay and synonyms for the word "pest" - namely, BUG FIX, NAG CHAMPA, and NEEDLESS. Many solvers might have mistakenly sorted these words into the PURPLE category, thinking they fit with other groups that share similar themes or letters. However, some purple-pickers might also have gotten their wires crossed by confusing them with members from the YELLOW group, like ALLEY or BYWAY, which contain similar-sounding words. Additionally, words like TEA SET and FOREST from the GREEN category could easily be mislabeled as well - it's a good thing solvers were paying close attention to the clues!
How to Play and Get Better at Connections
You're sorting 16 words into four groups of four that each share a hidden theme. Categories are color-coded by difficulty — yellow is usually the most literal, purple the most likely to involve wordplay or a double meaning. You get four mistakes before the puzzle ends, so it's worth locking in whichever group you're most certain about first rather than testing your least confident guess early.
Recent Connections Answers
Aug 02 2026 · #1229
Aug 01 2026 · #1231
Jul 31 2026 · #1233
How we keep this accurate
- The day's groups are pulled from the live puzzle at the midnight ET reset and confirmed by an editor.
- Puzzle numbers in the archive were corrected to increment by exactly one per day — a previous version had inconsistent jumps (a data feed issue, not intentional).
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does Connections reset?
Midnight local time, based on the NYT Games server.
Who edits NYT Connections?
Wyna Liu, a crossword constructor and puzzle editor for The New York Times.
Where can I play Connections?
On the NYT Games website or through the official iOS/Android app.
What happens if I make four mistakes?
The puzzle ends and reveals the remaining groups — there's no way to keep guessing past four mistakes.
More NYT-Style Puzzles
Prefer to work it out yourself with a nudge instead of the full grid? Connections Hints (No Spoilers) reveals today's categories one clue at a time. If you like Connections' grouping format generally, Connections Unlimited lets you replay similar puzzles with no daily cap, and Harmonies Answers Today runs the same "sort into four groups" idea with a music theme. For other daily NYT-style puzzles, NYT Spelling Bee Answer, Letter Boxed Answer Today, and Strands Answers are all worth checking, and Squaredle Answers Today is a good pick if you want a different word-finding format.
