Connections Hint
Puzzle #1171 · August 25, 2026

NYT Connections Hints for August 25, 2026

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

Tuesday, August 25, 2026
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Today’s 16 Puzzle Words
Tap any word to see how it’s used in this puzzle
SHAWSHANK REDEMPTIONTELEPORTATIONCOSMETICRUNNING MANSKIN-DEEPTRAFFIC CONELICKETY-SPLITSUPERFICIALHARLEM SHAKETIME WARPPARALLEL UNIVERSELONG WALKINSIDE SCOOPHYPERSPACEONE-DIMENSIONALGREEN MILE

Spoiler-Free Hints

Three levels — warmer as you read down
i Ultra safe

A direction for each group — no names given.

  • These all point to what’s visible rather than what lies beneath.
  • They all play in a world where normal rules are suspended.
  • These titles feel like they belong on the same library shelf.
  • These phrases share a quirky hidden link beneath their familiar wording.
ii Warmer

What kind of thinking each group asks for.

  • You’re looking at adjectives that describe shallowness or lack of substance.
  • Think of speculative fiction: modes of travel and reality-bending plot devices.
  • Think of well-known movies based on books by one celebrated author.
  • Look beyond the whole phrase and focus on the final word of each entry.
iii Mild spoilers

Pointed nudges on the words built to fool you.

  • All four are synonyms for shallowness — the opposite of depth and substance.
  • These are familiar science fiction plot devices that let characters transcend physical limits.
  • Each title gets the definite article “the” and comes from the same author’s filmography.
  • The final word in each phrase is an ice cream order — think of the last word only.

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.

TIME WARP

It can be read as a dance or song cue, so it seems to belong with Harlem Shake and Running Man rather than with the more scientific concepts.

HARLEM SHAKE

A famous dance and viral video, which distracts from the fact that its final word is a dessert-order term.

RUNNING MAN

Also a well-known dance step, making a false dance group feel plausible even though it belongs to the film titles.

INSIDE SCOOP

The phrase strongly suggests exclusive news or gossip, pulling attention away from the word “scoop” at the end.

Connections Answers — August 25, 2026

Tap any group to reveal it
Answers are hidden — tap a group to peek, or reveal all at once.
SURFACE-LEVEL
SUPERFICIAL · ONE-DIMENSIONAL · COSMETIC · SKIN-DEEP
Tap to reveal
SCI-FI PHENOMENA
HYPERSPACE · TIME WARP · PARALLEL UNIVERSE · TELEPORTATION
Tap to reveal
STEPHEN KING FILM ADAPTATIONS, WITH "THE"
RUNNING MAN · LONG WALK · GREEN MILE · SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
Tap to reveal
ENDING IN ICE CREAM ORDERS
HARLEM SHAKE · LICKETY-SPLIT · TRAFFIC CONE · INSIDE SCOOP
Tap to reveal
SEE ALSO:
NYT Wordle hints for August 25, 2026 NYT Pips hints for August 25, 2026 NYT Strands hints for August 25, 2026

Category Breakdown — Puzzle #1171

Why each group works — not just what it is

SURFACE-LEVEL

These four words all describe shallowness or concern with appearances rather than deeper substance. Superficial, cosmetic, skin-deep, and one-dimensional can apply to either physical surfaces or figurative lack of depth.

SCI-FI PHENOMENA

Hyperspace, parallel universe, teleportation, and time warp are classic speculative-fiction concepts. They are straightforward once you spot the shared sci-fi flavor, though time warp also has musical-theater associations.

STEPHEN KING FILM ADAPTATIONS, WITH "THE"

Green Mile, Long Walk, Running Man, and Shawshank Redemption are Stephen King works adapted to screen, each preceded by ‘The.’ Running Man might briefly masquerade as a dance, and Long Walk is less immediately familiar.

ENDING IN ICE CREAM ORDERS

Each phrase ends with a term for an ice cream serving: shake, scoop, split, and cone. The category hides its link in plain sight at the tail end, so the familiar meanings of the full phrases pull the eye away.

Word Guide — All 16 Puzzle Words

What each word means in this puzzle
SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
A critically acclaimed prison film adapted from a novella; the title is often listed with a definite article.
TELEPORTATION
In science fiction and fantasy, instantaneous movement from one place to another without crossing the space between.
COSMETIC
Relating to beauty products or appearance, but often used figuratively to mean changes that are only surface-level.
RUNNING MAN
A novel and action film title that is also a dance step; the phrase centers on motion.
SKIN-DEEP
An idiom meaning shallow or not deeply felt; beauty is often said to be only skin-deep.
TRAFFIC CONE
A bright, usually orange safety marker used to guide vehicles; its final word also names an edible ice cream holder.
LICKETY-SPLIT
A playful phrase meaning very quickly. Its final word also names a dessert built around a banana and ice cream.
SUPERFICIAL
Describes something that deals only with the obvious or surface aspects, lacking deeper substance. It can apply to people, actions, or physical layers.
HARLEM SHAKE
A viral dance craze and song from the early 2010s; the phrase also ends with a word used for a drink.
TIME WARP
A distortion or discontinuity in time, often used in science fiction; also the name of a famous dance-song routine.
PARALLEL UNIVERSE
A hypothetical alternate reality that exists alongside our own, a common idea in speculative fiction and thought experiments.
LONG WALK
A phrase that can mean an extended stroll; it is also the title of a famous dystopian novel about a grim contest.
INSIDE SCOOP
Journalistic slang for exclusive news or information; its second word can also mean a rounded portion of ice cream.
HYPERSPACE
A speculative dimension in science fiction that allows spacecraft to travel faster than light by leaving ordinary space.
ONE-DIMENSIONAL
Describes something flat, lacking depth or complexity, like a character with only one obvious trait.
GREEN MILE
The title of a serial novel and film, often preceded by a definite article; the phrase suggests a fateful corridor.

Puzzle Design Analysis

Why the editor constructed it this way

Wyna Liu creates a false maze of dance-like phrases—Time Warp, Running Man, and Harlem Shake—scattering them across three categories. The purple group is structurally elegant, asking solvers to ignore whole-phrase meanings and isolate final words. The Stephen King category rewards pop-culture knowledge, while the surface-level set is a comfortable entry point.

Difficulty & Analysis

How tough today’s board really plays
Overall
6.5/10
Most deceptive
TIME WARP

a textbook decoy

Hardest group
ICE CREAM ORDERS

requires lateral thinking

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