Connections Hint
Puzzle #1163 · August 17, 2026

NYT Connections Hints for August 17, 2026

Start with the spoiler-free hints. Go deeper only when you need to. Reveal answers on your own terms.

Monday, August 17, 2026
Get the hintsSpoiler-free · three levels ↓ Skip to answersJust give me the solution →
Today’s 16 Puzzle Words
Tap any word to see how it’s used in this puzzle
MACROJOHNNYDOGIETEAMSSCRIPTZOOMCATTLEFORMULAMEETBIRDIEHUDDLEDOLLYFUNCTIONFISHEYEWILLIEPATSY

Spoiler-Free Hints

Three levels — warmer as you read down
i Ultra safe

A direction for each group — no names given.

  • These words share a pulse of connecting people across any distance.
  • They feel precise and practical—more about structure than story.
  • These carry a warm, classic Americana feel, like old vinyl worn smooth.
  • Each one hides a tiny familiar presence in plain sight.
ii Warmer

What kind of thinking each group asks for.

  • Think of digital tools people use to talk face-to-face when they can't be in the same room.
  • Think of a grid-based program where cells hold values and users automate repetitive tasks.
  • Think of first-name-only country stars from an older era of Nashville.
  • The connection is about how the words begin, rather than what they mean overall.
iii Mild spoilers

Pointed nudges on the words built to fool you.

  • These are all video calling services—ordinary names for platforms that let people talk face-to-face online.
  • All four are features inside a spreadsheet for calculating, automating, or extending what the grid can do.
  • Each is the first name of a legendary country music singer.
  • Each word starts with a common pet—read the first few letters and an animal appears.

Today’s Trap Words

The words engineered to mislead

Every Connections board plants a few decoys. Here are today’s, and why they pull you the wrong way.

ZOOM

It looks like it could join photography-lens language such as fisheye or macro, but its primary home here is in remote communication.

CATTLE

The livestock meaning pulls toward Western/country imagery, making it easy to miss that the word itself starts with a smaller animal.

BIRDIE

Golf scoring and affectionate nicknames come to mind first, which distracts from noticing the hidden word at its opening.

HUDDLE

It reads as a generic team gathering, so solvers may not immediately treat it as the name of a distinct online service.

Connections Answers — August 17, 2026

Tap any group to reveal it
Answers are hidden — tap a group to peek, or reveal all at once.
VIDEO CALL PLATFORMS
MEET · ZOOM · HUDDLE · TEAMS
Tap to reveal
SPREADSHEET FEATURES
MACRO · SCRIPT · FUNCTION · FORMULA
Tap to reveal
FIRST NAMES OF COUNTRY MUSIC LEGENDS
DOLLY · WILLIE · PATSY · JOHNNY
Tap to reveal
STARTING WITH PETS
DOGIE · CATTLE · FISHEYE · BIRDIE
Tap to reveal
SEE ALSO:
NYT Wordle hints for August 17, 2026 NYT Pips hints for August 17, 2026 NYT Strands hints for August 17, 2026

Category Breakdown — Puzzle #1163

Why each group works — not just what it is

VIDEO CALL PLATFORMS

HUDDLE, MEET, TEAMS, and ZOOM are all services built around remote, face-to-face conversation. Several double as ordinary words, which keeps the set from being instantly obvious.

SPREADSHEET FEATURES

FORMULA, FUNCTION, MACRO, and SCRIPT are the core tools for calculating and automating within grid-based spreadsheet programs. Their overlap with coding and math gives the group a broader technical feel.

FIRST NAMES OF COUNTRY MUSIC LEGENDS

DOLLY, JOHNNY, PATSY, and WILLIE are first-name-only icons of country music. Because the names are familiar and common, they can hide in plain sight until the genre clicks.

STARTING WITH PETS

BIRDIE, CATTLE, DOGIE, and FISHEYE each begin with a pet name. The whole words read as animals, Western terms, or visual quirks, which cleverly disguises the simple prefix pattern.

Word Guide — All 16 Puzzle Words

What each word means in this puzzle
MACRO
A saved sequence of commands that automates repetitive actions in computing and spreadsheet programs of all kinds.
JOHNNY
A folksy first name strongly associated with a legendary country singer; its commonness makes it easy to overlook as a clue.
DOGIE
An old cowboy term for a stray or motherless calf, made famous by traditional Western songs.
TEAMS
A Microsoft platform for workplace messaging, file sharing, and online collaboration; also the plural of team.
SCRIPT
Written code that automates tasks or extends software, often used behind the scenes in spreadsheets and other programs.
ZOOM
A popular online meeting service whose name also suggests fast motion or a lens that adjusts magnification.
CATTLE
A broad term for cows or livestock; its spelling contains a smaller animal tucked right at the start.
FORMULA
An equation or expression that calculates a result from values, often using cell references in a grid-based program.
MEET
To come together, in person or online; also a major video-calling platform with a simple, verb-like name.
BIRDIE
A little bird or a cute nickname; in golf, a score of one stroke under par on a hole.
HUDDLE
A quick, close gathering for private conversation; also the name of a less familiar video collaboration tool used by remote groups.
DOLLY
A warm, old-fashioned given name associated with a beloved country singer; also a wheeled platform for moving cameras.
FUNCTION
A built-in or custom operation that takes inputs and returns a result, common in math, coding, and spreadsheet work.
FISHEYE
An ultra-wide lens that curves straight lines into a round, bulging image; also literally the eye of a fish.
WILLIE
A friendly, old-timey first name tied to a country outlaw legend; the -ie ending gives it a casual, down-home feel.
PATSY
A first name linked to a pioneering female country singer; it can also mean someone who is easily fooled.

Puzzle Design Analysis

Why the editor constructed it this way

Wyna Liu builds today's puzzle around two modern work-and-communication sets, then balances them with a warm country-music name group. The structural highlight is STARTING WITH PETS, where whole words disguise their animal prefixes. ZOOM, FISHEYE, and MACRO also plant a false photographic-lens trail, rewarding solvers who resist the most obvious thematic pull.

Difficulty & Analysis

How tough today’s board really plays
Overall
5.5/10
Most deceptive
CATTLE

a textbook decoy

Hardest group
STARTING WITH PETS

requires lateral thinking

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