MEDIUMPuzzle #796

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#796) – Today's Puzzle, Aug 15

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying POULTRY CUTS (BREAST, TENDER...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: August 15, 2025

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#795, Aug 14)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

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

BREAST hint: In the context of poultry cuts, "BREAST" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TENDER hint: In the context of poultry cuts, "TENDER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

THIGH hint: In the context of poultry cuts, "THIGH" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WING hint: In the context of poultry cuts, "WING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FOOT hint: In the context of handle, as a bill, "FOOT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PAY hint: In the context of handle, as a bill, "PAY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SETTLE hint: In the context of handle, as a bill, "SETTLE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TAKE CARE OF hint: In the context of handle, as a bill, "TAKE CARE OF" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

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

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

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

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

CASH hint: In the context of starts of culinary nuts, "CASH" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HAZE hint: In the context of starts of culinary nuts, "HAZE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MAC hint: In the context of starts of culinary nuts, "MAC" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PEC hint: In the context of starts of culinary nuts, "PEC" 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.

FOOT, PAY, SETTLE, TAKE CARE OF

In today's medium category (HANDLE, AS A BILL), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like FOOT, PAY, SETTLE, TAKE CARE OF may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to HANDLE, AS A BILL.

CASH, HAZE, MAC, PEC

The trickiest grouping today is "STARTS OF CULINARY NUTS". Words such as CASH, HAZE, MAC, PEC are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

BRILLIANT, CAPITAL, FINE, GRAND

Be careful with overlap between BRILLIANT, CAPITAL, FINE, GRAND and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "SPLENDID" 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: POULTRY CUTS (Straightforward) — Answers: BREAST, TENDER, THIGH, WING

Category: HANDLE, AS A BILL (Medium) — Answers: FOOT, PAY, SETTLE, TAKE CARE OF

Category: SPLENDID (Hard) — Answers: BRILLIANT, CAPITAL, FINE, GRAND

Category: STARTS OF CULINARY NUTS (Tricky) — Answers: CASH, HAZE, MAC, PEC

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

POULTRY CUTS

The words BREAST, TENDER, THIGH, WING all share a unique thematic connection as poultry cuts.

BREAST

In the context of poultry cuts, "BREAST" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TENDER

In the context of poultry cuts, "TENDER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

THIGH

In the context of poultry cuts, "THIGH" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WING

In the context of poultry cuts, "WING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HANDLE, AS A BILL

The words FOOT, PAY, SETTLE, TAKE CARE OF all share a unique thematic connection as handle, as a bill.

FOOT

In the context of handle, as a bill, "FOOT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PAY

In the context of handle, as a bill, "PAY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SETTLE

In the context of handle, as a bill, "SETTLE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TAKE CARE OF

In the context of handle, as a bill, "TAKE CARE OF" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SPLENDID

The words BRILLIANT, CAPITAL, FINE, GRAND all share a unique thematic connection as splendid.

BRILLIANT

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

CAPITAL

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

FINE

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

GRAND

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

STARTS OF CULINARY NUTS

The words CASH, HAZE, MAC, PEC all share a unique thematic connection as starts of culinary nuts.

CASH

In the context of starts of culinary nuts, "CASH" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HAZE

In the context of starts of culinary nuts, "HAZE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MAC

In the context of starts of culinary nuts, "MAC" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PEC

In the context of starts of culinary nuts, "PEC" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

FOOT, PAY, SETTLE, TAKE CARE OF sit alongside BRILLIANT, CAPITAL, FINE, GRAND and phrases like CASH, HAZE, MAC, PEC — 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.