Connections Answer Today Aug 23 2026 #1253

Today's Full Answer

POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE THINGSPOWDER KEG, TIME BOMB, TINDERBOX, VOLCANO

DOUBLE VOWELSANTIFREEZE, BAZAAR, SKIING, VACUUM

MADE WITH POTATOESHOME FRIES, POTATO BATTERY, VISCHYSSOISE, VODKA

HOUSEHOLD STAIN REMOVERSBAKING SODA, CLUB SODA, HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, VINEGAR

What Made Today's Purple Group Tricky

The "HOUSEHOLD STAIN REMOVERS" clue was a tricky one, as it seemed to point towards household cleaning products rather than actual stain removers. Members of this group, like BAKING SODA and VINEGAR, could easily be mistaken for other types of substances, such as baking ingredients or condiments. Similarly, words from the GREEN GROUP, like SKIING, might also get sorted into the "HOUSEHOLD STAIN REMOVERS" category due to their unexpected connection to cleaning products. Meanwhile, words from the BLUE GROUP, like HOME FRIES, could be mislabeled as stain removers simply because of the presence of a potato-related word.

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.

Red herrings are intentional: most days include at least one word that looks like it obviously belongs to a group it's actually not in — if a group feels "too easy" to fill, double-check whether one of your four words is a plant for a different category.

Recent Connections Answers

Aug 22 2026 · #1249

CARPENTRY TOOLSCHISEL, HAMMER, PLANE, SAW

KINDS OF MELONBITTER, MUSK, WATER, WINTER

GARDEN HOSE SETTINGSCONE, JET, MIST, SHOWER

___ GIRLS OF POP CULTUREGILMORE, GOLDEN, MEAN, SPICE

Aug 21 2026 · #1251

THINGS MOST ANIMALS NEEDNUTRITION, OXYGEN, SLEEP, WATER

CALLS TO BEGIN A PERFORMANCEACTION, CURTAIN UP, PLACES, SHOWTIME

___ KIDSCOMEBACK, KARATE, SUNDANCE, WIMPY

ONCE IN A ___BLUE MOON, GENERATION, LIFETIME, WHILE

Aug 20 2026 · #1252

KINDS OF PIZZADIAVOLA, HAWAIIAN, MEAT LOVERS, WHITE

KINDS OF NUMBERSATOMIC, SERIAL, SOCIAL SECURITY, TELEPHONE

SIMILARLY SHAPED TYPOGRAPHICAL MARKSAPOSTROPHE, CEDILLA, COMMA, OKINA

STARTING WITH CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMALSDRAGONFLY, OXFORD, PIGMENT, RATCHET

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.