What is the NYT Connections answer for August 12 (#1158)?

The four groups are HOLD ONTO, AS A FEELING (FOSTER, HARBOR, MAINTAIN, NURSE); KINDS OF FROGS (BULL, GREEN, POISON DART, TREE); NBC SITCOM SURNAMES (BENES, BING, LEMON, SCOTT); STARTING WITH AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSES (FINE PRINT, GOODBYE, GREAT WHITE, OKAYAMA).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "STARTING WITH AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSES" — 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.

Wednesday, August 12, 2026#1158

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Wednesday, August 12

DailyWordHints Editorial August 12

HOLD ONTO, AS A FEELING

Easiest

KINDS OF FROGS

Easy

NBC SITCOM SURNAMES

Tricky

STARTING WITH AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSES

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are HOLD ONTO, AS A FEELING (yellow), KINDS OF FROGS (green), NBC SITCOM SURNAMES (blue), STARTING WITH AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSES (purple).

LEMON

TREE

HARBOR

FINE PRINT

GREAT WHITE

GREEN

GOODBYE

NURSE

BULL

BING

FOSTER

SCOTT

BENES

OKAYAMA

POISON DART

MAINTAIN

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 #1158, Wednesday, August 12. 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 12 (#1158)?: The four groups are HOLD ONTO, AS A FEELING (FOSTER, HARBOR, MAINTAIN, NURSE); KINDS OF FROGS (BULL, GREEN, POISON DART, TREE); NBC SITCOM SURNAMES (BENES, BING, LEMON, SCOTT); STARTING WITH AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSES (FINE PRINT, GOODBYE, GREAT WHITE, OKAYAMA).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "STARTING WITH AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSES" — 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.