TodayHint

Connections August 21, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1251)

edited by Wyna Liu.

Recap

The puzzle required grouping 16 tiles into four categories based on their connections. Solvers had to carefully consider the relationships between the tiles to arrive at the correct groupings.

The sixteen tiles

The sixteen tiles as dealt. Reveal a group below to tint and caption its tiles here.

WIMPYWHILESLEEPGENERATIONLIFETIMEACTIONOXYGENCOMEBACKSHOWTIMEKARATESUNDANCEPLACESWATERBLUE MOONCURTAIN UPNUTRITION

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.

  1. Four one-line nudges, one per group

    The softest hint there is.

    Yellow
    Basic needs
    Green
    Theater cues
    Blue
    Kid labels
    Purple
    Rare events
  2. What linked each group, described

    Still no titles and no tiles named.

    Yellow group

    These four things are essential for survival and well-being in living creatures.

    Green group

    These phrases signal the start of a show or performance in a theater setting.

    Blue group

    These terms are used to describe certain types of children or young people.

    Purple group

    These phrases describe events that occur infrequently or unexpectedly in life.

  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. 2 of the sixteen tiles were more than one word.

    Tiles
    16 across 4 groups
    Longest tile
    10 characters
    Shortest tile
    5 characters
    Multi-word tiles
    2
    Back to the sixteen tiles
  4. The trap on this board

    Which tiles pulled in two directions.

    Some cards could fit into multiple categories at first glance, especially 'WIMPY' and 'ACTION', but careful consideration will reveal their correct groupings.

  5. The four category titles

    Half the answer.

    Yellow
    THINGS MOST ANIMALS NEED
    Green
    CALLS TO BEGIN A PERFORMANCE
    Blue
    ___ KIDS
    Purple
    ONCE IN A ___
  6. One tile from each group

    The anchor most people misplaced, matched to its title.

    Yellow — THINGS MOST ANIMALS NEED
    NUTRITION
    Green — CALLS TO BEGIN A PERFORMANCE
    PLACES
    Blue — ___ KIDS
    SUNDANCE
    Purple — ONCE IN A ___
    GENERATION
    Open the full groupings

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

    THINGS MOST ANIMALS NEED

    NUTRITION, OXYGEN, SLEEP, WATER. The yellow group, 'THINGS MOST ANIMALS NEED', consists of 'NUTRITION', 'OXYGEN', 'SLEEP', 'WATER'.

  • Green group · 4 tiles

    CALLS TO BEGIN A PERFORMANCE

    ACTION, CURTAIN UP, PLACES, SHOWTIME. The green group, 'CALLS TO BEGIN A PERFORMANCE', consists of 'ACTION', 'CURTAIN UP', 'PLACES', 'SHOWTIME'.

  • Blue group · 4 tiles

    ___ KIDS

    COMEBACK, KARATE, SUNDANCE, WIMPY. The blue group, '___ KIDS', consists of 'COMEBACK', 'KARATE', 'SUNDANCE', 'WIMPY'.

  • Purple group · 4 tiles

    ONCE IN A ___

    BLUE MOON, GENERATION, LIFETIME, WHILE. The purple group, 'ONCE IN A ___', consists of 'BLUE MOON', 'GENERATION', 'LIFETIME', 'WHILE'.

This board by the numbers

Puzzle
(#1251) · Friday, August 21, 2026
Tiles
16 in a 4 × 4 grid
Groups
4, yellow to purple
Multi-word tiles
2
Longest tile
CURTAIN UP
Mistakes allowed
4 before the board locked

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