Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Wednesday’s puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Wednesday, August 20 (game #801).

Good morning! Let’s play Connections, the NYT’s clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you’ve finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I’ve also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc’s Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #802) – today’s words

NYT Connections hints for game 802 on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today’s NYT Connections words are…

  • DIPSY
  • DREAM
  • CHEESE
  • SATELLITE DISH
  • LA-LA
  • GOOGLE
  • TELETUBBY
  • NO-NO
  • YANKEE
  • BOO-BOO
  • RADIO TOWER
  • NEVER NEVER
  • FLUB
  • INSECT
  • FANTASY
  • GAFFE

NYT Connections today (game #802) – hint #1 – group hints

What are some clues for today’s NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: A clumsy mishap 
  • GREEN: Make believe kingdoms
  • BLUE: Linked by a receiving system
  • PURPLE: Add a word that’s a bit like a scribble

Need more clues?

We’re firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today’s NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #802) – hint #2 – group answers

What are the answers for today’s NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: BLUNDER 
  • GREEN: LANDS OF THE IMAGINATION
  • BLUE: THINGS WITH ANTENNA/E 
  • PURPLE: ____ DOODLE

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #802) – the answers

NYT Connections answers for game 802 on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today’s Connections, game #802, are…

  • YELLOW: BLUNDER BOO-BOO, FLUB, GAFFE, NO-NO
  • GREEN: LANDS OF THE IMAGINATION DREAM, FANTASY, LA-LA, NEVER NEVER
  • BLUE: THINGS WITH ANTENNA/E INSECT, RADIO TOWER, SATELLITE DISH, TELETUBBY
  • PURPLE: ____ DOODLE CHEESE, DIPSY, GOOGLE, YANKEE
  • My rating: Easy
  • My score: Perfect

Connections teased us with two Teletubbies, and had I not known that the missing characters were Tinky-Winky and Po I may have been tempted to cobble a quartet together with BOO-BOO and FLUB, both of which sound as if they could be rotund primary-colored aliens.

Instead, I remembered that a prime feature of the TELETUBBY species was the curly antenna on top of their bulbous heads, something they have in common with INSECT, RADIO TOWER and SATELLITE DISH.

I’m glad I had this useless knowledge as I would never have put together _____ DOODLE, having never heard the phrase DIPSY doodle or having any inkling as to what a CHEESE doodle could be; this particular variety of cheese puff is not available in the UK, where the Wotsit rules supreme.

Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, August 20, game #801)

  • YELLOW: BLACK-AND-WHITE THINGS DOMINO, PIANO KEYS, YIN-YANG SYMBOL, ZEBRA
  • GREEN: PAIRS OF RODS CHOPSTICKS, CLAVES, KNITTING NEEDLES, SKI POLES
  • BLUE: THINGS THAT ROTATE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS BARBER POLE, CAROUSEL, CEILING FAN, LAZY SUSAN
  • PURPLE: RODS THAT CURVE AT ONE END CANDY CANE, CROCHET HOOK, CROOK, CROWBAR

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don’t technically need to solve the final one, as you’ll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What’s more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It’s a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It’s playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.