What is the NYT Connections answer for August 9 (#1155)?

The four groups are TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH (CHANGE TACK, COURSE-CORRECT, RECALIBRATE, SHIFT GEARS); CLASSIC CHILDREN'S BOOKS (CAPS FOR SALE, CORDUROY, GOODNIGHT MOON, MADELINE); MOVIE SUBGENRES (BUDDY COP, NEO-NOIR, SPACE OPERA, SPAGHETTI WESTERN); THINGS PEOPLE TRY TO GET OUT OF (BAD DREAM, ESCAPE ROOM, JURY DUTY, LABYRINTH).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "THINGS PEOPLE TRY TO GET OUT OF" — 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.

Sunday, August 9, 2026#1155

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Sunday, August 9

DailyWordHints Editorial August 9

TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH

Easiest

CLASSIC CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Easy

MOVIE SUBGENRES

Tricky

THINGS PEOPLE TRY TO GET OUT OF

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH (yellow), CLASSIC CHILDREN'S BOOKS (green), MOVIE SUBGENRES (blue), THINGS PEOPLE TRY TO GET OUT OF (purple).

SHIFT GEARS

JURY DUTY

SPACE OPERA

LABYRINTH

CAPS FOR SALE

ESCAPE ROOM

NEO-NOIR

COURSE-CORRECT

BAD DREAM

BUDDY COP

CORDUROY

CHANGE TACK

MADELINE

RECALIBRATE

SPAGHETTI WESTERN

GOODNIGHT MOON

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 #1155, Sunday, August 9. 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 9 (#1155)?: The four groups are TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH (CHANGE TACK, COURSE-CORRECT, RECALIBRATE, SHIFT GEARS); CLASSIC CHILDREN'S BOOKS (CAPS FOR SALE, CORDUROY, GOODNIGHT MOON, MADELINE); MOVIE SUBGENRES (BUDDY COP, NEO-NOIR, SPACE OPERA, SPAGHETTI WESTERN); THINGS PEOPLE TRY TO GET OUT OF (BAD DREAM, ESCAPE ROOM, JURY DUTY, LABYRINTH).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "THINGS PEOPLE TRY TO GET OUT OF" — 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.