NYT Connections Solution And Hints For August 27, 2026

Published Aug 27, 2026, 2:19 PM EDT

Matthew Danielson is a Senior Gaming Staff Writer for Screen Rant, using their expertise in fighting games, RPGs, and action titles to provide insight into your favorite experiences.

Matthew does a bit of everything, including helping ideate new content surrounding the hottest games and classics that continue to stoke nostalgia. With multiple years of experience, Matthew is your go-to expert on a variety of topics, from detailed fighting game experience to the most nuanced builds for your favorite RPG.

Matthew has worked for Screen Rant as a Gaming Senior Staff Writer since August 2022, and has been proud to release many articles that have helped people with unique problems while playing games.

As a long-time fan of TTRPG games, Matthew is also a veteran DM for Dungeons and Dragons, having hosted numerous campaigns over nearly a decade.

Today's Connections drive you to make haphazard solutions to the puzzle, using surface level patterns to try and force correct answers. The right clues can help you see past any tricks, but even then, there are some words that could throw you off. Only by taking account of the limited meaning of certain phrases can you discover the truth, forming categories without issue.

You only have four chances to make a mistake before losing a game of Connections, limiting your options as you play. The best advice for any day of Connections is to take your time to understand many possible contexts one phrase could mean besides what seems obvious. Similar to the Letter Boxed NYT puzzles, you have to find patterns to correctly discover the right path.

Today's Connections Category Hints

August 27 #1174

There are a variety of terms in today's puzzle, but also several words exist that relate to a topic that simply isn't there. If you feel like some pairings of words are "too obvious," you might want to rethink your thought process. Double-checking and seeing if some words have multiple categories they could be a part of might lead to easier solutions than you think.

If you want to know some hints regarding today's puzzle categories, check out these clues below:

• One category is about objects or creatures that produce a shock that could be harmful to others.
• One category is about phrases referring to when someone is exceptionally sad.
• One category is about different types of the same dull color.
• One category is about words that hide different categories of entertainment related to songs.

If you want to go all out with some of your clue-searching, you should look at the category names to get some extra help. There are also spoilers for each category if you find yourself needing to solve a single category to finish up.

	ELECTRIC THINGS
	MOVED TO TEARS
	SHADES OF GRAY
	MUSIC GENRE PLUS STARTING LETTER

Today's Connections Answers

August 27 #1174

Yellow Answers: Revealed & Explained

ELECTRIC THINGS
ELECTRIC EEL	LIGHTNING	LIVE WIRE	PIKACHU

The puzzle for the Connections today tries to trick you into thinking there is a category for the Pokémon series, with words like PIKACHU, ASH, MISTY, and BROCK present. While PIKACHU is still meant to be associated with the electric mouse, the key word here is "electric." There are several other terms referring to electricity in the puzzle, including LIVE WIRE, LIGHTNING, and ELECTRIC EEL as examples with an obvious pattern you might miss if you're focused on Pokémon.

Green Answers: Revealed & Explained

MOVED TO TEARS
CHOKED UP	EMOTIONAL	MISTY	OVERCOME

CHOKED UP was one of the first words I noticed in the puzzle today, as it has few meanings outside of sorrow or melancholy. Similarly, to OVERCOME sadness or get EMOTIONAL because it fits that pattern well. Once you realize there is no Pokémon category, you can put MISTY here as well, instead of with ASH or BROCK.

Blue Answers: Revealed & Explained

SHADES OF GRAY
ASH	DOVE	PEWTER	SLATE

Although ASH is the main character of the Pokémon anime and PEWTER is the same as the city Gym in that series' first game, the words don't go together like you'd expect. Instead, both of these terms refer to the same color, with SLATE also being a type of gray you might find. With this in mind, DOVE is a little harder to put here, but thinking about its context outside a flying animal could help you discover this category.

Purple Answers: Revealed & Explained

MUSIC GENRE PLUS STARTING LETTER
BROCK	NEMO	SPUNK	WRAP

Looking at BROCK after breaking it away from other categories might help you sound out the "rock" within the word. Other phrases like WRAP even sound more like "rap" anyway, with the silent "W" in that phrase making this category far more obvious. With "emo" in NEMO and "punk" in SPUNK, this Connections section is the final piece you need to complete the puzzle.

Other Games Like Connections

If you are looking for another puzzle to play, check out one of the ones in the box below.

Game Name	How To Play	Is It Free To Play?
Wordle (NYT)	Solve a random five-letter word by using color clues. Every Wordle answer can be found in our daily updated list.	Yes
Primel	Guess a five-digit number in six attempts.	Yes
Crosswordle	Find the two words that intersect each other like a crossword puzzle.	Yes
The Password Game	Create a password in this ever-changing, not-so-simple game. You can find some helpful tips in our Password Game guide.	Yes

Systems