Today’s NYT Connections for August 21, 2026 (#1167) mixes simple clues with tricky wordplay and convincing red herrings.
NYT Connections hints for August 21
- Yellow: Think about basic necessities that living creatures generally require.
- Green: These are words or phrases you might hear just before a performance begins.
- Blue: Put the same word after each answer to create familiar phrases involving children.
- Purple: Each answer can complete the phrase “once in a ___.”
Animal needs clue: Think about the basic requirements for animal life and well-being. The answers include things related to nourishment, breathing, rest and hydration.
Performance clue: Imagine being backstage or on a film set just before something begins. These are all calls or cues used to signal the start of a performance.
Kids clue: Add “kids” after each answer. The resulting phrases include titles and familiar expressions connected with movies, books or pop culture.
Once clue: Do not focus on the answers as a single topic. Instead, place each one after “once in a” and listen for a familiar phrase or expression.
Today’s NYT Connections answers
Reveal the Yellow Group
Category: Things most animals need
Answers: NUTRITION, OXYGEN, SLEEP, WATER
All four answers describe basic needs shared by most animals. Nutrition provides energy and essential nutrients, oxygen supports respiration, sleep allows the body to rest and recover, and water is necessary for hydration and many biological processes.
Reveal the Green Group
Category: Calls to begin a performance
Answers: ACTION, CURTAIN UP, PLACES, SHOWTIME
Each answer can be heard when a performance or production is about to begin. Action is commonly called on a film set, curtain up signals the start of a stage performance, places tells performers to get into position, and showtime announces that the event is ready to start.
Reveal the Blue Group
Category: ____ kids
Answers: COMEBACK, KARATE, SUNDANCE, WIMPY
Each answer forms a familiar phrase when followed by “kids.” The resulting combinations are Comeback Kids, Karate Kids, Sundance Kids and Wimpy Kids. The shared ending is easy to miss because the first words appear unrelated when viewed on their own.
Reveal the Purple Group
Category: Once in a ____
Answers: BLUE MOON, GENERATION, LIFETIME, WHILE
This category is built around completing the phrase “once in a ___.” The answers create familiar expressions: once in a blue moon, once in a generation, once in a lifetime and once in a while. The challenge comes from recognizing the shared phrase rather than a direct relationship between the four answers.
Today’s solving lesson: The August 21 puzzle rewards players who avoid locking onto an apparent theme too quickly. Words such as OXYGEN, SHOWTIME, SUNDANCE and LIFETIME can look like they belong together because of entertainment-related associations, but they actually belong to four different groups. When a Connections category seems almost right but leaves awkward leftovers, checking common phrases, word pairings and shared endings can reveal the intended structure.
Players can attempt the official daily puzzle and check their results on the New York Times Connections page.
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