Spoiler-safe · revealed step by step
Yesterday's Connections Answer — August 22, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle for Saturday, August 22, 2026, with hints revealed one step at a time so you only see what you ask for.
Updated August 22, 2026 · By Casey Marlowe
Before the Hints
This puzzle's 16 words
Connections Hints
Puzzle #1168 — Saturday, August 22, 2026
Each card unlocks in three steps: a clue, then the category name, then the four words.
← Aug 20 (#1166) Aug 22 · #1168 Today's puzzle →
Full Reveal
This puzzle's Connections answer
Click to reveal the full solved grid
Solver's Notebook
How this puzzle played
Yellow settles fast once you spot "workbench tools" — CHISEL, HAMMER, PLANE, and SAW, though PLANE tempts a pairing with JET as aircraft first. Green rewards produce knowledge: BITTER, MUSK, WATER, and WINTER are all melon varieties, and MUSK in particular tends to pull solvers' minds toward the businessman before the fruit connection lands. Blue is a clean visual category: CONE, JET, MIST, and SHOWER are all garden hose spray settings. Purple needed pop-culture recall — GILMORE, GOLDEN, MEAN, and SPICE all precede "Girls" to name a well-known show, film, or band (Gilmore Girls, Golden Girls, Mean Girls, Spice Girls), rounding out one of the easier puzzles of the month according to NYT's own rating.
FAQ
Questions about this puzzle
What was the Connections answer for August 22, 2026?
Carpentry Tools (CHISEL, HAMMER, PLANE, SAW), Kinds of Melon (BITTER, MUSK, WATER, WINTER), Garden Hose Settings (CONE, JET, MIST, SHOWER), and ___ Girls of Pop Culture (GILMORE, GOLDEN, MEAN, SPICE).
What was the hardest category on August 22?
Purple, ___ Girls of Pop Culture — it required recognizing four separate TV, film, and music references (Gilmore Girls, Golden Girls, Mean Girls, Spice Girls), though PLANE and JET pairing as "aircraft" was the puzzle's biggest early trap.
What puzzle number was August 22, 2026?
Puzzle #1168.
