Connections August 10, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1236)
Recap
This puzzle required solvers to connect phrases describing unpredictability, event ticketing methods, invoice sections, and famous facial hair, making for a challenging and engaging experience.
The sixteen tiles
The sixteen tiles as dealt. Reveal a group below to tint and caption its tiles here.
Connections hints, one rung at a time
Six rungs, softest first. The recap above already named the groups, so this ladder is here for anyone replaying the board fresh rather than as a spoiler shield.
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Hint 1: Four one-line nudges, one per group
The softest hint there is.
- Yellow
- Random Style
- Green
- Ticket Options
- Blue
- Invoice Details
- Purple
- Facial Hair
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Hint 2: What linked each group, described
Still no titles and no tiles named.
Yellow group
Phrases that convey a sense of unpredictability or lack of planning, often used to describe spontaneous actions or decisions
Green group
Methods for obtaining admission to events, varying in convenience and technology
Blue group
Essential information included on a bill, helping to clarify payment and order specifics
Purple group
Notable figures recognized for their distinctive facial features, often becoming iconic parts of their image
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Hint 3: Board facts
Counted off the sixteen printed tiles.
Sixteen tiles, four groups of four, ordered yellow → green → blue → purple from most to least obvious. 13 of the sixteen tiles were more than one word.
- Tiles
- 16 across 4 groups
- Longest tile
- 15 characters
- Shortest tile
- 7 characters
- Multi-word tiles
- 13
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Hint 4: The trap on this board
Which tiles pulled in two directions.
Be cautious with words like MOBILE TICKET and PRINT-AT-HOME, as they may seem related to multiple groups due to their general relevance to events and transactions, but belong to a specific category
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Hint 5: The four category titles
Half the answer.
- Yellow
- HAPHAZARDLY
- Green
- WAYS TO RECEIVE EVENT TICKETS
- Blue
- SECTIONS ON AN INVOICE
- Purple
- FAMOUS GOATEES
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Hint 6: One tile from each group
The anchor most people misplaced, matched to its title.
- Yellow — HAPHAZARDLY
- HELTER-SKELTER
- Green — WAYS TO RECEIVE EVENT TICKETS
- MOBILE TICKET
- Blue — SECTIONS ON AN INVOICE
- UNIT PRICE
- Purple — FAMOUS GOATEES
- DOCTOR STRANGE
Every Connections group from that board
All four groups, folded. Opening one tints its four tiles above and captions them with the category name.
Yellow group · 4 tiles
HAPHAZARDLY
ANY OLD HOW, AT RANDOM, HELTER-SKELTER, WILLY-NILLY. The yellow group is HAPHAZARDLY, which includes ANY OLD HOW, AT RANDOM, HELTER-SKELTER, and WILLY-NILLY
Green group · 4 tiles
WAYS TO RECEIVE EVENT TICKETS
MAIL DELIVERY, MOBILE TICKET, PRINT-AT-HOME, WILL CALL. The green group is WAYS TO RECEIVE EVENT TICKETS, consisting of MAIL DELIVERY, MOBILE TICKET, PRINT-AT-HOME, and WILL CALL
Blue group · 4 tiles
SECTIONS ON AN INVOICE
BALANCE DUE, BILL TO, ORDER NUMBER, UNIT PRICE. The blue group is SECTIONS ON AN INVOICE, comprising BALANCE DUE, BILL TO, ORDER NUMBER, and UNIT PRICE
Purple group · 4 tiles
FAMOUS GOATEES
BILLY GOAT, COLONEL SANDERS, DOCTOR STRANGE, THE DEVIL. The purple group is FAMOUS GOATEES, featuring BILLY GOAT, COLONEL SANDERS, DOCTOR STRANGE, and THE DEVIL
This board by the numbers
- Puzzle
- (#1236) · Monday, August 10, 2026
- Tiles
- 16 in a 4 × 4 grid
- Groups
- 4, yellow to purple
- Multi-word tiles
- 13
- Longest tile
- COLONEL SANDERS
- Mistakes allowed
- 4 before the board locked
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