TodayHint

Connections August 7, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1238)

edited by Wyna Liu.

Recap

This Connections puzzle featured groups that ranged from common household items to more technical and specific categories, requiring a broad knowledge base to solve effectively.

The sixteen tiles

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

JACKPOTMOTORSNOWJARWICKSUNDAERAMBOBUTTONSTOMATILLOSHAFTWAXBUCKYBALLLIQUID NITROGENFRAGRANCECABLESREFRIGERATOR

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
    Candle parts
    Green
    Chilly items
    Blue
    Elevator mechanics
    Purple
    Male animal starters
  2. What linked each group, described

    Still no titles and no tiles named.

    Yellow group

    Things you find in a typical household candle setup

    Green group

    Things that are typically cold to the touch or associated with cold temperatures

    Blue group

    Components that make an elevator function and move between floors

    Purple group

    Words that begin with terms for male animals, often used in other contexts

  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. 1 of the sixteen tile was more than one word.

    Tiles
    16 across 4 groups
    Longest tile
    15 characters
    Shortest tile
    3 characters
    Multi-word tiles
    1
    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, be cautious with words that have multiple meanings or uses, like 'jackpot' or 'sundae'.

  5. The four category titles

    Half the answer.

    Yellow
    COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE
    Green
    COLD THINGS
    Blue
    PARTS OF AN ELEVATOR
    Purple
    STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS
  6. One tile from each group

    The anchor most people misplaced, matched to its title.

    Yellow — COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE
    FRAGRANCE
    Green — COLD THINGS
    LIQUID NITROGEN
    Blue — PARTS OF AN ELEVATOR
    CABLES
    Purple — STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS
    BUCKYBALL
    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

    COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE

    FRAGRANCE, JAR, WAX, WICK. The yellow group, COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE, includes FRAGRANCE, JAR, WAX, WICK.

  • Green group · 4 tiles

    COLD THINGS

    LIQUID NITROGEN, REFRIGERATOR, SNOW, SUNDAE. The green group, COLD THINGS, consists of LIQUID NITROGEN, REFRIGERATOR, SNOW, SUNDAE.

  • Blue group · 4 tiles

    PARTS OF AN ELEVATOR

    BUTTONS, CABLES, MOTOR, SHAFT. The blue group, PARTS OF AN ELEVATOR, comprises BUTTONS, CABLES, MOTOR, SHAFT.

  • Purple group · 4 tiles

    STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS

    BUCKYBALL, JACKPOT, RAMBO, TOMATILLO. The purple group, STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS, features BUCKYBALL, JACKPOT, RAMBO, TOMATILLO.

This board by the numbers

Puzzle
(#1238) · Friday, August 7, 2026
Tiles
16 in a 4 × 4 grid
Groups
4, yellow to purple
Multi-word tiles
1
Longest tile
LIQUID NITROGEN
Mistakes allowed
4 before the board locked

More Connections

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