Today’s NYT Connections puzzle for Sunday, August 2, 2026, features many short words that make the four groups difficult to separate. Puzzle No. 1148 mixes conversational expressions, words describing a method or route, familiar “mode” phrases and a clever airport-code pattern.
The most misleading entries include AIRPLANE, ASEA, FLAX, LORD and OLGA. The blue group depends on a shared ending, while the purple answers conceal familiar three-letter US airport codes.
NYT Connections hints for August 2
- Yellow: Common words people insert while speaking or gathering their thoughts.
- Green: Different ways to say that something happens using a particular method, route or means.
- Blue: Each answer can be placed before the same word describing a setting, style or state.
- Purple: Remove the first letter from each answer to reveal a major US airport code.
Main trap: BY, PER, THROUGH and VIA may look too ordinary to form a category. They belong together because each can describe the means or route through which something happens.
Filler-word clue: ACTUALLY, LIKE, SO and WELL frequently appear in informal speech. They can introduce an idea, soften a statement or give a speaker time to think.
Shared-word clue: Place the same four-letter word after AIRPLANE, BEAST, DARK and À LA. Each combination forms a familiar expression.
Airport clue: Look beyond the complete words and focus on their final three letters. The hidden codes represent airports serving Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City.
Today’s NYT Connections answers
Reveal the Yellow Group
Category: Filler words
Answers: ACTUALLY, LIKE, SO, WELL
These words are commonly inserted into everyday conversation. Speakers may use them to begin a thought, create a pause or make a statement sound less direct.
Reveal the Green Group
Category: By means of
Answers: BY, PER, THROUGH, VIA
Each answer can indicate the method, channel or route used to complete an action or reach a destination.
Reveal the Blue Group
Category: ____ mode
Answers: AIRPLANE, BEAST, DARK, À LA
Each answer forms a familiar phrase when followed by MODE: airplane mode, beast mode, dark mode and à la mode.
Reveal the Purple Group
Category: US airport codes plus a starting letter
Answers: ASEA, FLAX, LORD, OLGA
Removing the first letter reveals an airport code: ASEA contains SEA for Seattle, FLAX contains LAX for Los Angeles, LORD contains ORD for Chicago O’Hare and OLGA contains LGA for New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
Today’s solving lesson: Very short words can create several convincing combinations. When those groups fail, check whether longer entries share an ending or hide abbreviations after their opening letters.
Players can attempt the official daily puzzle and review their results on the New York Times Connections page.
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