TodayHint

Connections August 23, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1253)

edited by Wyna Liu.

Recap

The connections for August 23, 2026, have been revealed. Four groups were identified, each with unique themes and word connections.

The sixteen tiles

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

ANTIFREEZEVACUUMBAKING SODAVOLCANOVINEGARVODKATINDERBOXPOTATO BATTERYSKIINGHOME FRIESCLUB SODAPOWDER KEGHYDROGEN PEROXIDEBAZAARVISCHYSSOISETIME BOMB

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
    Ticking threats
    Green
    Vowel pairs
    Blue
    Spud-based
    Purple
    Cleaning aids
  2. What linked each group, described

    Still no titles and no tiles named.

    Yellow group

    Things that can ignite or blow up suddenly

    Green group

    Words with two consecutive vowels

    Blue group

    Foods or drinks that include potatoes

    Purple group

    Common substances for removing tough stains

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

    Tiles
    16 across 4 groups
    Longest tile
    17 characters
    Shortest tile
    5 characters
    Multi-word tiles
    7
    Back to the sixteen tiles
  4. The trap on this board

    Which tiles pulled in two directions.

    Some words could fit into more than one category. Be cautious with words like BAZAAR, SKIING, and HOME FRIES that may seem related to multiple themes.

  5. The four category titles

    Half the answer.

    Yellow
    POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE THINGS
    Green
    DOUBLE VOWELS
    Blue
    MADE WITH POTATOES
    Purple
    HOUSEHOLD STAIN REMOVERS
  6. One tile from each group

    The anchor most people misplaced, matched to its title.

    Yellow — POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE THINGS
    VOLCANO
    Green — DOUBLE VOWELS
    VACUUM
    Blue — MADE WITH POTATOES
    VISCHYSSOISE
    Purple — HOUSEHOLD STAIN REMOVERS
    HYDROGEN PEROXIDE
    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

    POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE THINGS

    POWDER KEG, TIME BOMB, TINDERBOX, VOLCANO. The yellow group, 'POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE THINGS', includes POWDER KEG, TIME BOMB, TINDERBOX, and VOLCANO.

  • Green group · 4 tiles

    DOUBLE VOWELS

    ANTIFREEZE, BAZAAR, SKIING, VACUUM. The green group, 'DOUBLE VOWELS', consists of ANTIFREEZE, BAZAAR, SKIING, and VACUUM.

  • Blue group · 4 tiles

    MADE WITH POTATOES

    HOME FRIES, POTATO BATTERY, VISCHYSSOISE, VODKA. The blue group, 'MADE WITH POTATOES', comprises HOME FRIES, POTATO BATTERY, VISCHYSSOISE, and VODKA.

  • Purple group · 4 tiles

    HOUSEHOLD STAIN REMOVERS

    BAKING SODA, CLUB SODA, HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, VINEGAR. The purple group, 'HOUSEHOLD STAIN REMOVERS', features BAKING SODA, CLUB SODA, HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, and VINEGAR.

This board by the numbers

Puzzle
(#1253) · Sunday, August 23, 2026
Tiles
16 in a 4 × 4 grid
Groups
4, yellow to purple
Multi-word tiles
7
Longest tile
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE
Mistakes allowed
4 before the board locked

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