What is the NYT Connections answer for August 20 (#1166)?

The four groups are KINDS OF PIZZA (DIAVOLA, HAWAIIAN, MEAT LOVERS, WHITE); KINDS OF NUMBERS (ATOMIC, SERIAL, SOCIAL SECURITY, TELEPHONE); SIMILARLY SHAPED TYPOGRAPHICAL MARKS (APOSTROPHE, CEDILLA, COMMA, OKINA); STARTING WITH CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMALS (DRAGONFLY, OXFORD, PIGMENT, RATCHET).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "STARTING WITH CHINESE ZODIAC 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.

Thursday, August 20, 2026#1166

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Thursday, August 20

DailyWordHints Editorial August 20

KINDS OF PIZZA

Easiest

KINDS OF NUMBERS

Easy

SIMILARLY SHAPED TYPOGRAPHICAL MARKS

Tricky

STARTING WITH CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMALS

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are KINDS OF PIZZA (yellow), KINDS OF NUMBERS (green), SIMILARLY SHAPED TYPOGRAPHICAL MARKS (blue), STARTING WITH CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMALS (purple).

TELEPHONE

APOSTROPHE

OXFORD

SERIAL

HAWAIIAN

OKINA

RATCHET

COMMA

WHITE

PIGMENT

ATOMIC

DRAGONFLY

DIAVOLA

CEDILLA

MEAT LOVERS

SOCIAL SECURITY

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 #1166, Thursday, August 20. 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 20 (#1166)?: The four groups are KINDS OF PIZZA (DIAVOLA, HAWAIIAN, MEAT LOVERS, WHITE); KINDS OF NUMBERS (ATOMIC, SERIAL, SOCIAL SECURITY, TELEPHONE); SIMILARLY SHAPED TYPOGRAPHICAL MARKS (APOSTROPHE, CEDILLA, COMMA, OKINA); STARTING WITH CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMALS (DRAGONFLY, OXFORD, PIGMENT, RATCHET).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "STARTING WITH CHINESE ZODIAC 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.