Today’s NYT Connections #1163 for August 17, 2026, features video calls, spreadsheets, country legends and tricky pet-themed wordpla
NYT Connections hints for August 17
- Yellow: Think about services people use to see and talk to colleagues, friends or family online.
- Green: If you regularly work with Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet software, these terms should look familiar.
- Blue: These are first names strongly associated with some of country music’s most famous performers.
- Purple: Do not concentrate on the entire word. Look at the beginning of each answer and think about common animals people keep or care for.
Video chat clue: Look for four words associated with popular video calling and online meeting platforms.
Spreadsheet clue: Find four terms that belong naturally in the world of spreadsheets, calculations and automation.
Country music clue: Four answers are the first names of legendary country singers. Think Cash, Parton, Cline and Nelson.
Pet clue: The final group depends on the beginning of each word. Each answer starts with the name of an animal commonly associated with pets or domesticated animals.
Today’s NYT Connections answers
Reveal the Yellow Group
Category: Video call platforms
Answers: HUDDLE, MEET, TEAMS, ZOOM
All four answers are associated with video calls and online meetings. Meet, Teams and Zoom are immediately recognizable in that context, while Huddle completes the group.
Reveal the Green Group
Category: Spreadsheet features
Answers: FORMULA, FUNCTION, MACRO, SCRIPT
These four terms are closely connected with spreadsheet software. A formula performs a calculation, a function provides a predefined operation, while a macro and script can be used to automate repetitive or more advanced tasks.
Reveal the Blue Group
Category: First names of country music legends
Answers: DOLLY, JOHNNY, PATSY, WILLIE
The connection becomes clear when surnames are added. Dolly points to Dolly Parton, Johnny to Johnny Cash, Patsy to Patsy Cline and Willie to Willie Nelson. All four are first names associated with country music legends.
Reveal the Purple Group
Category: Starting with pets
Answers: BIRDIE, CATTLE, DOGIE, FISHEYE
This group hides its connection at the start of each answer. Birdie begins with bird, cattle begins with cat, dogie begins with dog, and fisheye begins with fish. Those four opening words are all animals commonly kept as pets.
Today’s solving lesson: The August 17 puzzle rewards players who are willing to switch between meanings and word construction. Some categories rely on straightforward associations, such as spreadsheet terminology and country singers, while the purple group requires noticing smaller words hiding at the beginnings of longer answers.
Players can attempt the official daily puzzle and check their results on the New York Times Connections page.
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