What is the NYT Connections answer for August 25 (#1171)?

The four groups are SURFACE-LEVEL (COSMETIC, ONE-DIMENSIONAL, SKIN-DEEP, SUPERFICIAL); SCI-FI PHENOMENA (HYPERSPACE, PARALLEL UNIVERSE, TELEPORTATION, TIME WARP); STEPHEN KING FILM ADAPTATIONS, WITH "THE" (GREEN MILE, LONG WALK, RUNNING MAN, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION); ENDING IN ICE CREAM ORDERS (HARLEM SHAKE, INSIDE SCOOP, LICKETY-SPLIT, TRAFFIC CONE).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "ENDING IN ICE CREAM ORDERS" — 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.

Tuesday, August 25, 2026#1171

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Tuesday, August 25

DailyWordHints Editorial August 25

SURFACE-LEVEL

Easiest

SCI-FI PHENOMENA

Easy

STEPHEN KING FILM ADAPTATIONS, WITH "THE"

Tricky

ENDING IN ICE CREAM ORDERS

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are SURFACE-LEVEL (yellow), SCI-FI PHENOMENA (green), STEPHEN KING FILM ADAPTATIONS, WITH "THE" (blue), ENDING IN ICE CREAM ORDERS (purple).

SUPERFICIAL

HYPERSPACE

HARLEM SHAKE

LICKETY-SPLIT

RUNNING MAN

TRAFFIC CONE

TIME WARP

LONG WALK

ONE-DIMENSIONAL

PARALLEL UNIVERSE

GREEN MILE

INSIDE SCOOP

COSMETIC

SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

TELEPORTATION

SKIN-DEEP

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 #1171, Tuesday, August 25. 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 25 (#1171)?: The four groups are SURFACE-LEVEL (COSMETIC, ONE-DIMENSIONAL, SKIN-DEEP, SUPERFICIAL); SCI-FI PHENOMENA (HYPERSPACE, PARALLEL UNIVERSE, TELEPORTATION, TIME WARP); STEPHEN KING FILM ADAPTATIONS, WITH "THE" (GREEN MILE, LONG WALK, RUNNING MAN, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION); ENDING IN ICE CREAM ORDERS (HARLEM SHAKE, INSIDE SCOOP, LICKETY-SPLIT, TRAFFIC CONE).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "ENDING IN ICE CREAM ORDERS" — 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.