NYT Connections Hints August 22, 2025
Today’s Connections puzzle on August 22, 2025, brings some truly eccentric word associations—not to mention a classic game of “Wait… what does LA-LA go with, again?” If you’re here hunting for tips, a full breakdown, or just commiseration about the difference between a blunder and a gaffe, settle in.
There’s something joyful (and occasionally infuriating) about the way Connections messes with your head each morning. And yes, today’s answers are all here if you need ’em.
What is the NYT Connections Game?
The NYT Connections game is a fresh daily word puzzle from The New York Times that tasks you with finding common threads between 16 words—split into 4 groups of four. It’s sort of like Wordle’s nerdy cousin, but with a group project that can quickly devolve into “No, DIPSY can’t possibly go with SATELLITE DISH, right?” Sometimes, you stare at the grid so long you start seeing connections everywhere—in grocery lists, WiFi names, or maybe even your leftover lunch.
Created by NYT associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu, Connections has taken off, and there’s now an official Bot to track your stats, analyze scores, and probably witness your moments of playful desperation.
You get up to four mistakes, meaning there’s some room for risk, stubbornness, or fits of giggles if you’re playing with friends (or cats). If you pick the right four, those get zapped off the board—leaving you with fewer “What is LA-LA supposed to mean?” moments.
Hints for NYT Connections August 22, 2025
Let’s get straight to the hints: today's Connections puzzle (August 22, 2025) mixes the obvious with the oddball, so don’t expect a straightforward ride. If you like gentle nudges rather than spoilers, here are some unofficial “friend-moves” I wish someone had given me this morning:
- Yellow group hint: Famous leaders, and at least a couple you might see on dollar bills.
- Green group hint: If you shouted a last name, it might sound like you’re telling someone what to do.
- Blue group hint: Bring chips—these words love a good wager.
- Purple group hint: Think back to those cult-classic movies of the ‘90s, with names popping up after a verb in the title.
True story: I got stuck on purple, convinced “Amy” must be a kind of tree—only to slap my forehead when I remembered “Being John Malkovich.” That’s Connections in a nutshell: you’ll laugh, groan, and contemplate googling, but resist that urge at least for a round.
Connections Categories Today
As of August 22, 2025, the puzzle’s categories are an odd bunch—classic Connections randomness that keeps fans hooked:
- U.S. Presidents: If you’re a history buff, this group should be easy. Adams, Ford, Grant, and Washington—my friend always calls this the “yellow safety net,” since it’s almost always the easiest set to grab.
- Actors Whose Last Names Are Verbs: Ah, green—a bit more clever. Think Chevy (as in Chase), Waltz, Rush, and Cruise. You could shout, “rush!” or “cruise!” and it would sound like a command. Not gonna lie, I tried pairing “Rush” with “Adams” for a solid minute.
- Kinds of Poker: Blue is for card sharks. Draw, Omaha, strip, stud. I weirdly thought “strip” was another movie reference, so whoops.
- Proper Nouns After Gerunds in ‘90s Movie Titles: Purple is, as always, pure chaos. Amy, John Malkovich, Las Vegas, Private Ryan—all words that followed an “-ing” verb in a well-known film title. I never appreciated how quirky movie titles could get until Connections forced me to think about it this way. You might recognize “Saving Private Ryan,” “Leaving Las Vegas,” “Being John Malkovich,” and “Chasing Amy.”
If you’re stuck on a category, try talking it out loud—sometimes your brain clicks only after the fourth try. Bonus tip: shuffle those words a few times. It works surprisingly well.
NYT Connections Answers for August 22, 2025
Here’s where the spoilers come in. If you’d rather solve solo, bail now. For the rest of us—here are today’s groupings and the specific answers on the board:
- Yellow (U.S. Presidents) Adams, Ford, Grant, Washington
- Green (Actors Whose Last Names Are Verbs) Chevy Chase, Christoph Waltz, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Cruise
- Blue (Kinds of Poker) Draw, Omaha, strip, stud
- Purple: Proper Nouns After Gerunds in ’90s Movie Titles: Amy, John Malkovich, Las Vegas, Private Ryan
How to Play NYT Connections?
Ready to jump in? It’s easy, quirky, and a bit wild:
- Open NYT Connections (Browser or App): If you’re addicted, you know the route.
- Scan through the 16 words: Laugh (or groan) at the weirder ones first.
- Start grouping by the most obvious connections. Succeed? Great. Mess up? It’s only a “boo-boo.”
- Don’t stress about mistakes: You get four! If you’re like me, you’ll burn through them before breakfast.
- Shuffle the board: Sometimes fresh sight lines help, especially when you’re convinced “cheese” can’t possibly be part of “doodle.”
- Celebrate small victories. Perfect scores are fun, but sometimes just surviving to the end is the real thrill.
Play occasionally with a partner or in a Slack channel. Swap wild guesses (“Is Teletubby a cheese?”). Build inside jokes. And, if you’re like me, you’ll start seeing “blunder” and “fantasy” in everyday life—bank holidays included.
If you enjoyed today’s Connections, we look forward to seeing you here tomorrow. If you didn’t—hey, at least you learned something about doodles, antennae, and imaginative lands. And maybe, just maybe, never underestimate Google’s ability to sneak into a word puzzle.
