Connections Hint
Puzzle #1172 · August 26, 2026

NYT Connections Hints for August 26, 2026

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

Wednesday, August 26, 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
BEHOLDVOILÀCHAINSIGNATUREFORTELARGOSTRENGTHTALENTPRESTOPARKPIANOGIFTLIMEPHOSPHORUSSHAZAMPAGE

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 theatrical, showy energy.
  • They all describe something you might be naturally good at.
  • These four are tied by a single, very short label.
  • They only make sense with the same partner word.
ii Warmer

What kind of thinking each group asks for.

  • Think of a magician's vocabulary for the moment a trick is finished.
  • These all name a special ability or aptitude; think of glowing résumé language.
  • Think about fields where one letter acts as a shorthand for a whole word.
  • Try putting the same tiny word before each; the results are everyday compounds.
iii Mild spoilers

Pointed nudges on the words built to fool you.

  • These are exclamations of presentation—words you'd say while revealing something with drama.
  • Each is a synonym for natural skill or an area where someone excels.
  • The letter P can replace each word in a different context—chemistry, music, driving, citations.
  • Each word follows the same little noun—an object you might carry on a ring or turn in a lock.

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.

FORTE

Looks like a music instruction meaning 'play loudly,' which tempts solvers toward a false set with PIANO, LARGO, and PRESTO.

PRESTO

A magic exclamation, but also a fast musical tempo. That double identity can steer solvers away from the reveal exclamations into a music category.

LARGO

A clear music term meaning slowly; it could glue together FORTE, PIANO, and PRESTO before the KEY pattern emerges.

PIANO

May seem to belong with musical directions rather than as a one-letter meaning; the keyboard instrument reading makes the P connection easy to overlook.

Connections Answers — August 26, 2026

Tap any group to reveal it
Answers are hidden — tap a group to peek, or reveal all at once.
"THERE YOU HAVE IT!"
PRESTO · BEHOLD · VOILÀ · SHAZAM
Tap to reveal
KNACK
FORTE · GIFT · TALENT · STRENGTH
Tap to reveal
WHAT "P" MIGHT STAND FOR
PARK · PIANO · PAGE · PHOSPHORUS
Tap to reveal
KEY ___
LIME · LARGO · SIGNATURE · CHAIN
Tap to reveal
SEE ALSO:
NYT Wordle hints for August 26, 2026 NYT Pips hints for August 26, 2026 NYT Strands hints for August 26, 2026

Category Breakdown — Puzzle #1172

Why each group works — not just what it is

"THERE YOU HAVE IT!"

BEHOLD, PRESTO, SHAZAM, and VOILÀ are showy reveal exclamations—each could accompany a grand unveiling. The group's trick is that they share tone rather than a literal category.

KNACK

FORTE, GIFT, STRENGTH, and TALENT all describe a special ability or aptitude. The deceptive part is FORTE's musical meaning, which yanks solvers toward a false music group.

WHAT "P" MIGHT STAND FOR

PAGE, PARK, PHOSPHORUS, and PIANO are all things the letter P can represent in different systems: a book page, a gearshift park, the element symbol, and the musical soft dynamic.

KEY ___

CHAIN, LARGO, LIME, and SIGNATURE each follow KEY to make a familiar compound—key chain, Key Largo, key lime, and key signature. The category is a prefix-completion pattern that hides in plain sight.

Word Guide — All 16 Puzzle Words

What each word means in this puzzle
BEHOLD
An old-fashioned command meaning 'look' or 'see.' It often introduces a grand reveal or impressive sight.
VOILÀ
A French interjection used to present something with a flourish, roughly meaning 'look at that.'
CHAIN
A series of connected metal links. It commonly follows a small ring-held object to form an everyday accessory.
SIGNATURE
A person's handwritten name used for approval or identity. In music, it follows another modifier to describe the key system of a piece.
FORTE
A person's area of strength or specialty. In music, it means 'loud,' so solvers may initially sort it with tempo and dynamic terms.
LARGO
A musical direction meaning 'broadly' or slowly. It is also the second part of a place name in the Florida Keys.
STRENGTH
The quality or state of being strong. It can mean an attribute or a particular skill area.
TALENT
A natural aptitude or skill. It often means a special ability someone seems born with.
PRESTO
A magic-word exclamation used when something suddenly changes or appears. In music, it also means a very fast tempo, making it a clever cross-domain tease.
PARK
A public green space, or the act of leaving a vehicle. In automatic cars, P is the gearshift position for park.
PIANO
A large keyboard instrument, but in sheet music the marking 'p' for piano means 'soft.' That dual identity is central to its puzzle role.
GIFT
A natural ability or talent, as well as something given voluntarily. Here it is used in the aptitude sense.
LIME
A small green citrus fruit with tart juice. It is especially familiar in a Florida pie made with condensed milk.
PHOSPHORUS
A reactive chemical element whose symbol in the periodic table is P. It is known in white or red forms and as a nutrient.
SHAZAM
An exclamation of sudden magic or transformation; also a DC superhero and a music-identification app.
PAGE
One side of a book or document; in citations and shorthand, the simple letter P often replaces the full word.

Puzzle Design Analysis

Why the editor constructed it this way

Wyna Liu plants a clever false set with FORTE, PRESTO, LARGO, and PIANO, all credible musical terms spread across four different groups. This forces solvers to break the obvious music category early. The "WHAT 'P' MIGHT STAND FOR" group hides behind everyday words whose P-abbreviation link only appears after reframing. The KEY ___ set is structurally simple but nicely camouflaged by the musical and chemistry tangents.

Difficulty & Analysis

How tough today’s board really plays
Overall
6.2/10
Most deceptive
FORTE

a textbook decoy

Hardest group
KEY ___

requires lateral thinking

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