Today’s NYT Connections puzzle for August 25, 2026, #1171 features sci-fi, Stephen King and clever ice cream wordplay.
NYT Connections hints for August 25
- Yellow: Think about descriptions for something that does not go very deep.
- Green: Imagine concepts often seen in science-fiction stories, including space travel and alternate realities.
- Blue: Think about movies adapted from works by a famous horror and suspense author.
- Purple: Each phrase ends with a word that can also be connected to ordering or serving ice cream.
Surface-level clue: These four words all describe something that is shallow, outward or lacking depth, either literally or figuratively.
Sci-fi clue: Look for four ideas commonly associated with science-fiction phenomena, including unusual travel, alternate dimensions and distortions of space or time.
Stephen King clue: Each answer becomes the title of a Stephen King film adaptation when “The” is placed in front of it.
Ice cream clue: Focus on the ending word in each phrase. Those endings can also appear in language associated with ice cream, serving styles or frozen treats.
Today’s NYT Connections answers
Reveal the Yellow Group
Category: Surface-level
Answers: COSMETIC, ONE-DIMENSIONAL, SKIN-DEEP, SUPERFICIAL
All four answers describe something that is limited to the surface or lacking deeper substance. COSMETIC can refer to a change in appearance only, while SKIN-DEEP and SUPERFICIAL directly suggest shallowness. ONE-DIMENSIONAL can describe something or someone lacking complexity or depth.
Reveal the Green Group
Category: Sci-fi phenomena
Answers: HYPERSPACE, PARALLEL UNIVERSE, TELEPORTATION, TIME WARP
These are all familiar science-fiction concepts. HYPERSPACE is often used for faster-than-light travel, a PARALLEL UNIVERSE describes an alternate reality, TELEPORTATION involves instant movement between locations, and a TIME WARP refers to unusual movement or distortion involving time.
Reveal the Blue Group
Category: Stephen King film adaptations, with “The”
Answers: GREEN MILE, LONG WALK, RUNNING MAN, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
Each answer forms the title of a Stephen King adaptation when “The” is added at the beginning: The Green Mile, The Long Walk, The Running Man and The Shawshank Redemption.
Reveal the Purple Group
Category: Ending in ice cream orders
Answers: HARLEM SHAKE, INSIDE SCOOP, LICKETY-SPLIT, TRAFFIC CONE
The connection comes from the final word in each phrase: SHAKE, SCOOP, SPLIT and CONE can all be linked to ice cream or frozen-dessert orders. The challenge is recognizing the shared food-related meaning despite the full phrases belonging to very different contexts.
Players can attempt the official daily puzzle and check their results on the New York Times Connections page.
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