What is the NYT Connections answer for August 15 (#1161)?

The four groups are EXHAUSTED (BEAT, FRIED, SPENT, WORN OUT); SEGMENT (LEG, PHASE, STAGE, STRETCH); ENDING IN UNITS OF LENGTH (CHAMOMILE, GRINCH, HOTFOOT, LANYARD); ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR FOLLOW SECRETLY (BEANSTALK, EYESHADOW, HIGHTAIL, SOUNDTRACK).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR FOLLOW SECRETLY" — 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.

Saturday, August 15, 2026#1161

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Saturday, August 15

DailyWordHints Editorial August 15

EXHAUSTED

Easiest

SEGMENT

Easy

ENDING IN UNITS OF LENGTH

Tricky

ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR FOLLOW SECRETLY

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are EXHAUSTED (yellow), SEGMENT (green), ENDING IN UNITS OF LENGTH (blue), ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR FOLLOW SECRETLY (purple).

GRINCH

BEANSTALK

STAGE

LANYARD

HIGHTAIL

LEG

SOUNDTRACK

HOTFOOT

BEAT

STRETCH

FRIED

CHAMOMILE

SPENT

EYESHADOW

PHASE

WORN OUT

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 #1161, Saturday, August 15. 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 15 (#1161)?: The four groups are EXHAUSTED (BEAT, FRIED, SPENT, WORN OUT); SEGMENT (LEG, PHASE, STAGE, STRETCH); ENDING IN UNITS OF LENGTH (CHAMOMILE, GRINCH, HOTFOOT, LANYARD); ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR FOLLOW SECRETLY (BEANSTALK, EYESHADOW, HIGHTAIL, SOUNDTRACK).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR FOLLOW SECRETLY" — 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.