MEDIUMPuzzle #801

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#801) – Today's Puzzle, Aug 20

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying BLACK-AND-WHITE THINGS (DOMINO, PIANO KEYS...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: August 20, 2025

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#800, Aug 19)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

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

DOMINO hint: In the context of black-and-white things, "DOMINO" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PIANO KEYS hint: In the context of black-and-white things, "PIANO KEYS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

YIN-YANG SYMBOL hint: In the context of black-and-white things, "YIN-YANG SYMBOL" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ZEBRA hint: In the context of black-and-white things, "ZEBRA" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CHOPSTICKS hint: In the context of pairs of rods, "CHOPSTICKS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CLAVES hint: In the context of pairs of rods, "CLAVES" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

KNITTING NEEDLES hint: In the context of pairs of rods, "KNITTING NEEDLES" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SKI POLES hint: In the context of pairs of rods, "SKI POLES" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BARBER POLE hint: In the context of rotate about a vertical axis, "BARBER POLE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CAROUSEL hint: In the context of rotate about a vertical axis, "CAROUSEL" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CEILING FAN hint: In the context of rotate about a vertical axis, "CEILING FAN" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LAZY SUSAN hint: In the context of rotate about a vertical axis, "LAZY SUSAN" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CANDY CANE hint: In the context of rods that curve at one end, "CANDY CANE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CROCHET HOOK hint: In the context of rods that curve at one end, "CROCHET HOOK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CROOK hint: In the context of rods that curve at one end, "CROOK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CROWBAR hint: In the context of rods that curve at one end, "CROWBAR" 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.

CHOPSTICKS, CLAVES, KNITTING NEEDLES, SKI POLES

In today's medium category (PAIRS OF RODS), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like CHOPSTICKS, CLAVES, KNITTING NEEDLES, SKI POLES may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to PAIRS OF RODS.

CANDY CANE, CROCHET HOOK, CROOK, CROWBAR

The trickiest grouping today is "RODS THAT CURVE AT ONE END". Words such as CANDY CANE, CROCHET HOOK, CROOK, CROWBAR are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

BARBER POLE, CAROUSEL, CEILING FAN, LAZY SUSAN

Be careful with overlap between BARBER POLE, CAROUSEL, CEILING FAN, LAZY SUSAN and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "THINGS THAT ROTATE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS" 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: BLACK-AND-WHITE THINGS (Straightforward) — Answers: DOMINO, PIANO KEYS, YIN-YANG SYMBOL, ZEBRA

Category: PAIRS OF RODS (Medium) — Answers: CHOPSTICKS, CLAVES, KNITTING NEEDLES, SKI POLES

Category: THINGS THAT ROTATE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS (Hard) — Answers: BARBER POLE, CAROUSEL, CEILING FAN, LAZY SUSAN

Category: RODS THAT CURVE AT ONE END (Tricky) — Answers: CANDY CANE, CROCHET HOOK, CROOK, CROWBAR

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

BLACK-AND-WHITE THINGS

The words DOMINO, PIANO KEYS, YIN-YANG SYMBOL, ZEBRA all share a unique thematic connection as black-and-white things.

DOMINO

In the context of black-and-white things, "DOMINO" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PIANO KEYS

In the context of black-and-white things, "PIANO KEYS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

YIN-YANG SYMBOL

In the context of black-and-white things, "YIN-YANG SYMBOL" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ZEBRA

In the context of black-and-white things, "ZEBRA" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PAIRS OF RODS

The words CHOPSTICKS, CLAVES, KNITTING NEEDLES, SKI POLES all share a unique thematic connection as pairs of rods.

CHOPSTICKS

In the context of pairs of rods, "CHOPSTICKS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CLAVES

In the context of pairs of rods, "CLAVES" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

KNITTING NEEDLES

In the context of pairs of rods, "KNITTING NEEDLES" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SKI POLES

In the context of pairs of rods, "SKI POLES" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

THINGS THAT ROTATE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS

The words BARBER POLE, CAROUSEL, CEILING FAN, LAZY SUSAN all share a unique thematic connection as things that rotate about a vertical axis.

BARBER POLE

In the context of rotate about a vertical axis, "BARBER POLE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CAROUSEL

In the context of rotate about a vertical axis, "CAROUSEL" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CEILING FAN

In the context of rotate about a vertical axis, "CEILING FAN" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LAZY SUSAN

In the context of rotate about a vertical axis, "LAZY SUSAN" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

RODS THAT CURVE AT ONE END

The words CANDY CANE, CROCHET HOOK, CROOK, CROWBAR all share a unique thematic connection as rods that curve at one end.

CANDY CANE

In the context of rods that curve at one end, "CANDY CANE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CROCHET HOOK

In the context of rods that curve at one end, "CROCHET HOOK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CROOK

In the context of rods that curve at one end, "CROOK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CROWBAR

In the context of rods that curve at one end, "CROWBAR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

CHOPSTICKS, CLAVES, KNITTING NEEDLES, SKI POLES sit alongside BARBER POLE, CAROUSEL, CEILING FAN, LAZY SUSAN and phrases like CANDY CANE, CROCHET HOOK, CROOK, CROWBAR — 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.