MEDIUMPuzzle #441

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#441) – Today's Puzzle, Aug 25

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying HOPPING MAD (BOILING, FUMING...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: August 25, 2024

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#440, Aug 24)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

Tap any word to see its Connections hint — what it means in today's puzzle, no spoilers.

BOILING hint: In the context of hopping mad, "BOILING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FUMING hint: In the context of hopping mad, "FUMING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LIVID hint: In the context of hopping mad, "LIVID" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STEAMING hint: In the context of hopping mad, "STEAMING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

POSITION hint: In the context of status, "POSITION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

RANKING hint: In the context of status, "RANKING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STANDING hint: In the context of status, "STANDING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STATION hint: In the context of status, "STATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

AIR hint: In the context of words that make up the acronym “hvac”, "AIR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CONDITIONING hint: In the context of words that make up the acronym “hvac”, "CONDITIONING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HEATING hint: In the context of words that make up the acronym “hvac”, "HEATING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

VENTILATION hint: In the context of words that make up the acronym “hvac”, "VENTILATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BAKING hint: In the context of activities that involve folding, "BAKING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LAUNDRY hint: In the context of activities that involve folding, "LAUNDRY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ORIGAMI hint: In the context of activities that involve folding, "ORIGAMI" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

POKER hint: In the context of activities that involve folding, "POKER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

Hints uncovered0 / 16

Today's NYT Connections Hints for All Four Categories

Reveal progressively: see the category hint first, then the group name, then individual words — stop whenever you have enough.

🟡 Straightforward

🟢 Medium

🔵 Hard

🟣 Tricky

⚠️Traps & Misdirects Hints for Today’s Connections Puzzle

Today’s Connections puzzle includes words intentionally placed to misdirect you into wrong groups. These traps and misdirects hints reveal which words are designed to mislead, so you don’t burn your 4 allowed mistakes on deliberate decoys.

POSITION, RANKING, STANDING, STATION

In today's medium category (STATUS), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like POSITION, RANKING, STANDING, STATION may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to STATUS.

BAKING, LAUNDRY, ORIGAMI, POKER

The trickiest grouping today is "ACTIVITIES THAT INVOLVE FOLDING". Words such as BAKING, LAUNDRY, ORIGAMI, POKER are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

AIR, CONDITIONING, HEATING, VENTILATION

Be careful with overlap between AIR, CONDITIONING, HEATING, VENTILATION and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "WORDS THAT MAKE UP THE ACRONYM “HVAC”" to trap unsuspecting players into using up their 4 allowed mistakes.

Today's NYT Connections Answers

Click to reveal the complete solution — all four categories.

Category: HOPPING MAD (Straightforward) — Answers: BOILING, FUMING, LIVID, STEAMING

Category: STATUS (Medium) — Answers: POSITION, RANKING, STANDING, STATION

Category: WORDS THAT MAKE UP THE ACRONYM “HVAC” (Hard) — Answers: AIR, CONDITIONING, HEATING, VENTILATION

Category: ACTIVITIES THAT INVOLVE FOLDING (Tricky) — Answers: BAKING, LAUNDRY, ORIGAMI, POKER

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

HOPPING MAD

The words BOILING, FUMING, LIVID, STEAMING all share a unique thematic connection as hopping mad.

BOILING

In the context of hopping mad, "BOILING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FUMING

In the context of hopping mad, "FUMING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LIVID

In the context of hopping mad, "LIVID" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STEAMING

In the context of hopping mad, "STEAMING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STATUS

The words POSITION, RANKING, STANDING, STATION all share a unique thematic connection as status.

POSITION

In the context of status, "POSITION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

RANKING

In the context of status, "RANKING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STANDING

In the context of status, "STANDING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STATION

In the context of status, "STATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WORDS THAT MAKE UP THE ACRONYM “HVAC”

The words AIR, CONDITIONING, HEATING, VENTILATION all share a unique thematic connection as words that make up the acronym “hvac”.

AIR

In the context of words that make up the acronym “hvac”, "AIR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CONDITIONING

In the context of words that make up the acronym “hvac”, "CONDITIONING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HEATING

In the context of words that make up the acronym “hvac”, "HEATING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

VENTILATION

In the context of words that make up the acronym “hvac”, "VENTILATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ACTIVITIES THAT INVOLVE FOLDING

The words BAKING, LAUNDRY, ORIGAMI, POKER all share a unique thematic connection as activities that involve folding.

BAKING

In the context of activities that involve folding, "BAKING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LAUNDRY

In the context of activities that involve folding, "LAUNDRY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ORIGAMI

In the context of activities that involve folding, "ORIGAMI" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

POKER

In the context of activities that involve folding, "POKER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

POSITION, RANKING, STANDING, STATION sit alongside AIR, CONDITIONING, HEATING, VENTILATION and phrases like BAKING, LAUNDRY, ORIGAMI, POKER — a collision of distinct word groups and subtle misdirects.

The editor's sharpest trick is hiding a word-within-a-word: some of the multi-word phrases are not grouped by their topic but by what their first word secretly means.

How to Use Connections Hints

Everyone playing NYT Connections puzzle gets stuck at a different point. Some players can’t figure out a single word. Others have three groups solved and can’t find the fourth. Where you are stuck determines which connection hint you need.

A word in the puzzle has an unfamiliar meaning

Some words in today’s NYT Connections puzzle are uncommon. Connections editor Wyna Liu often uses words with specific or less familiar meanings, particularly in the green, blue, and purple categories. If you don’t know what a word means, you cannot reliably place it in a group.

Recommendation: Use the Word Hint. It tells you what the word means in the context of today’s puzzle. Tap any word directly on the board above to see its hint.

No groups are forming after reading all sixteen words

The connection between words is often not obvious from their meanings alone — categories are built around themes that require a specific angle to see. These category-level clues are the most useful hints.

Recommendation: Use the Category Hint. It points you toward the theme of a category without revealing the category name or which words belong to it. Tap “Yellow Category Hint” first.

You have a possible group but aren’t ready to guess

You think four words belong together but you’re not confident enough to guess. If you’re unsure, don’t guess yet — a wrong guess costs you one of your four mistakes.

Recommendation: Use the Category Name. It reveals the exact name of the category without showing you which words belong to it.

One word seems to fit more than one group

You have built a group of four words but one word in it could also fit somewhere else. NYT Connections editor Wyna Liu deliberately places misleading words on the board.

Recommendation: Use the Traps and Misdirects Hints. It identifies the specific misleading words in today’s puzzle and explains why they don’t belong where you think they do.

You know the category but can’t find all four words

You have identified the theme of a category but can’t find all four words that belong to it.

Recommendation: Use the Word Reveal. It uncovers one masked word at a time without revealing the full group. This is the most precise connection hint available.

One mistake left with two groups unsolved

You have one mistake remaining and two groups unsolved. If you guess wrong here, the game ends and NYT reveals all the answers automatically.

Recommendation: Do not guess yet. Use the Category Name for both remaining groups first. If that is still not enough, tap “Category Words” and reveal one word at a time.

You want today’s answers without solving the puzzle

Use the Answers section. It shows all four category names and the four words that belong to each one.

Recommendation: Go to the Answers section.

The puzzle is over but a category still doesn’t make sense

You can see the four groups and their words but the connection between them isn’t clear.

Recommendation: Use the Answer Explanation. It tells you exactly what connects the words in each category and why each individual word belongs there.

Browse Past Puzzles

View answers and hints for every previous NYT Connections puzzle.

Puzzle Archive →

Frequently Asked Questions

NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle by The New York Times where you group 16 words into 4 categories of 4 words each. Each category has a hidden theme color-coded by difficulty.

Yellow is the most straightforward category, Green is medium difficulty, Blue is harder, and Purple contains the trickiest, most misleading groupings.

Yes, NYT Connections is free to play once per day on the New York Times Games website.

A new NYT Connections puzzle releases every day at midnight in your local time zone (12:00 AM ET for US Eastern Time).

Naveed Ahmed

@NaveedAhmedDev•@naveedcolab

Lead Writer & Connections Puzzle Analyst

Naveed is a dedicated puzzle strategist and word game analyst who breaks down daily NYT Connections categories, uncovers tricky wordplay patterns, and delivers progressive, spoiler-free clues to help thousands of players solve every puzzle.