What is the NYT Connections answer for August 21 (#1167)?

The four groups are THINGS MOST ANIMALS NEED (NUTRITION, OXYGEN, SLEEP, WATER); CALLS TO BEGIN A PERFORMANCE (ACTION, CURTAIN UP, PLACES, SHOWTIME); ___ KIDS (COMEBACK, KARATE, SUNDANCE, WIMPY); ONCE IN A ___ (BLUE MOON, GENERATION, LIFETIME, WHILE).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "ONCE IN A ___" — 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 21, 2026#1167

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Friday, August 21

DailyWordHints Editorial August 21

THINGS MOST ANIMALS NEED

Easiest

CALLS TO BEGIN A PERFORMANCE

Easy

___ KIDS

Tricky

ONCE IN A ___

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are THINGS MOST ANIMALS NEED (yellow), CALLS TO BEGIN A PERFORMANCE (green), ___ KIDS (blue), ONCE IN A ___ (purple).

WIMPY

WHILE

SLEEP

GENERATION

LIFETIME

ACTION

OXYGEN

COMEBACK

SHOWTIME

KARATE

SUNDANCE

PLACES

WATER

BLUE MOON

CURTAIN UP

NUTRITION

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 #1167, Friday, August 21. 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 21 (#1167)?: The four groups are THINGS MOST ANIMALS NEED (NUTRITION, OXYGEN, SLEEP, WATER); CALLS TO BEGIN A PERFORMANCE (ACTION, CURTAIN UP, PLACES, SHOWTIME); ___ KIDS (COMEBACK, KARATE, SUNDANCE, WIMPY); ONCE IN A ___ (BLUE MOON, GENERATION, LIFETIME, WHILE).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "ONCE IN A ___" — 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.