Connections Hint
Puzzle #1168 · August 22, 2026

NYT Connections Hints for August 22, 2026

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

Saturday, August 22, 2026
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Today’s 16 Puzzle Words
Tap any word to see how it’s used in this puzzle
BITTERMEANCONEPLANEWATERSAWSHOWERCHISELWINTERSPICEMUSKHAMMERGILMOREGOLDENJETMIST

Spoiler-Free Hints

Three levels — warmer as you read down
i Ultra safe

A direction for each group — no names given.

  • These words all act on something solid, often with force and precision.
  • They seem unrelated until a fresh, juicy common thread completes them.
  • Different choices on a dial change the shape and pressure of this.
  • These share an invisible bond that clicks after a missing piece appears.
ii Warmer

What kind of thinking each group asks for.

  • Think about a hand tool collection and the jobs each item performs.
  • Think about produce naming: each word can precede a specific fruit variety.
  • Think about a familiar outdoor tool with a nozzle, and the modes on its dial.
  • Think of famous pop culture titles with a shared final word.
iii Mild spoilers

Pointed nudges on the words built to fool you.

  • All four are hand tools used in woodworking; they shape, split, or smooth material.
  • Each goes before the same fruit word; the result names four varieties, some sweet and some not.
  • These are all hose nozzle patterns; they differ in shape and pressure.
  • Each precedes the same female plural word in famous TV, film, and music titles.

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.

PLANE

It looks like it could pair with JET as an aviation clue, but it's actually a hand tool.

BITTER

Solvers may file it with MEAN as a negative adjective, but it is hiding in a fruit variety.

SHOWER

It suggests rain or bathing, which makes it seem connected to WATER and MIST before its true spray setting is clear.

JET

PLANE makes JET feel like a transportation word, but it is really a liquid-stream setting.

Connections Answers — August 22, 2026

Tap any group to reveal it
Answers are hidden — tap a group to peek, or reveal all at once.
CARPENTRY TOOLS
HAMMER · PLANE · SAW · CHISEL
Tap to reveal
KINDS OF MELON
BITTER · WINTER · MUSK · WATER
Tap to reveal
GARDEN HOSE SETTINGS
CONE · JET · MIST · SHOWER
Tap to reveal
___ GIRLS OF POP CULTURE
SPICE · MEAN · GOLDEN · GILMORE
Tap to reveal
SEE ALSO:
NYT Wordle hints for August 22, 2026 NYT Pips hints for August 22, 2026 NYT Strands hints for August 22, 2026

Category Breakdown — Puzzle #1168

Why each group works — not just what it is

CARPENTRY TOOLS

CHISEL, HAMMER, PLANE, and SAW are all hand tools used to shape, cut, or fasten wood. The group is simple, but PLANE and SAW carry extra meanings that can lead solvers toward wrong categories.

KINDS OF MELON

BITTER, MUSK, WATER, and WINTER all precede 'melon' to name distinct varieties. The challenge is seeing past their ordinary meanings as tastes, weather, scents, and seasons.

GARDEN HOSE SETTINGS

CONE, JET, MIST, and SHOWER are spray patterns on a common hose nozzle. They are sneaky because each word also fits mundane contexts like weather, bathing, or geometry.

___ GIRLS OF POP CULTURE

GILMORE, GOLDEN, MEAN, and SPICE complete titles of famous girl-focused TV shows, movies, or music acts. The set is easy to remember but only after spotting the shared missing word.

Word Guide — All 16 Puzzle Words

What each word means in this puzzle
BITTER
A sharp, acrid taste found in coffee, dark chocolate, and some vegetables. It also appears before a fruit name for a knobby green gourd with strong flavor.
MEAN
Unkind, spiteful, or small-minded. It also appears in a comedy film title about a ruthless high-school clique.
CONE
A shape that is round at the base and tapers to a point. It can also describe a spray pattern or a crisp pastry holder for ice cream.
PLANE
A wood-shaping tool with a blade set in a flat base, drawn across a surface to smooth it. The same spelling also names an aircraft or a flat geometric surface.
WATER
A clear, neutral-tasting liquid essential for life. It also appears before a fruit name for a pale, crisp, extremely juicy summer fruit.
SAW
A cutting implement with a toothed blade, used on wood or metal. It is also the past tense of 'see,' which can pull solvers toward a different meaning.
SHOWER
A brief spell of rain, or a fixture that pours water from above. It can also describe a wide, gentle spray pattern.
CHISEL
A metal hand tool with a beveled cutting edge, usually struck with a mallet to shape wood or stone. It can also mean to cheat or gradually take money.
WINTER
The coldest season, between fall and spring. It also appears before a fruit name for a pale-fleshed, squash-like produce that stores well.
SPICE
A plant product like cinnamon or cumin that adds flavor to food. It also names a 1990s British pop group known for colorful personas.
MUSK
A heavy, earthy scent used as a base in perfumes. It also appears before a fruit name for a fragrant, netted-rind variety.
HAMMER
A heavy-headed tool used to drive nails or break objects. It can also mean to hit repeatedly or to stress a point.
GILMORE
A surname made famous by a rapid-fire television series about a close mother and daughter. It often functions as the first word in a familiar title.
GOLDEN
A warm metallic yellow hue linked with wealth and success. It also appears in a sitcom title about four older women living together.
JET
A strong, narrow stream of liquid or gas forced through a small opening. It can also refer to a fast aircraft powered by jet engines.
MIST
Fine droplets of liquid suspended in the air, lighter than fog. It can also describe a very soft, diffuse spray.

Puzzle Design Analysis

Why the editor constructed it this way

Wyna Liu built overlapping decoys: PLANE and JET suggest aircraft, SHOWER and MIST suggest weather, and BITTER and MEAN suggest harsh adjectives. The actual groups force solvers to shift among concrete tools, produce prefixes, nozzle settings, and pop-culture titles. Placing ordinary words like WATER, WINTER, and GOLDEN alongside specialized meanings makes the puzzle feel harder than it first appears.

Difficulty & Analysis

How tough today’s board really plays
Overall
5.0/10
Most deceptive
PLANE

a textbook decoy

Hardest group
___ Girls

requires lateral thinking

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