What is the NYT Connections answer for August 7 (#1153)?

The four groups are COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE (FRAGRANCE, JAR, WAX, WICK); COLD THINGS (LIQUID NITROGEN, REFRIGERATOR, SNOW, SUNDAE); PARTS OF AN ELEVATOR (BUTTONS, CABLES, MOTOR, SHAFT); STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS (BUCKYBALL, JACKPOT, RAMBO, TOMATILLO).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.

What do the Connections colors mean?

Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.

Friday, August 7, 2026#1153

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Friday, August 7

DailyWordHints Editorial August 7

COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE

Easiest

COLD THINGS

Easy

PARTS OF AN ELEVATOR

Tricky

STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE (yellow), COLD THINGS (green), PARTS OF AN ELEVATOR (blue), STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS (purple).

JACKPOT

MOTOR

SNOW

JAR

WICK

SUNDAE

RAMBO

BUTTONS

TOMATILLO

SHAFT

WAX

BUCKYBALL

LIQUID NITROGEN

FRAGRANCE

CABLES

REFRIGERATOR

Hints by group

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

Full answers below

Today’s answers

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

See all past Connections puzzles →

Today's Connections hints (no answers yet)

Here are spoiler-free nudges for NYT Connections #1153, Friday, August 7. Reveal one color at a time and work from the easiest group (yellow) to the trickiest (purple).

How to use these hints

Each clue is written so it never names any of the sixteen words — it just points you in the right direction. Open the full answer only once you're truly stuck.

Strategy for solving today's grid

Lock in the group you're most confident about first to shrink the board, but resist the obvious four-of-a-kind — the puzzle almost always plants a word that fits two themes. Save the purple group for last; it usually hides the wordplay twist.

Frequently asked questions

What is the NYT Connections answer for August 7 (#1153)?: The four groups are COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE (FRAGRANCE, JAR, WAX, WICK); COLD THINGS (LIQUID NITROGEN, REFRIGERATOR, SNOW, SUNDAE); PARTS OF AN ELEVATOR (BUTTONS, CABLES, MOTOR, SHAFT); STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS (BUCKYBALL, JACKPOT, RAMBO, TOMATILLO).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.
What do the Connections colors mean?: Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.