Connections Hints

Saturday, August 15, 2026

Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — August 15, 2026

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Show the word gridAll 16 words — you figure out the groups
Show the themesCategory names only, no words revealed
One word per groupTheme name + one word per category
Full solutionAll words and explanations
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Word grid

All 16 words, sorted alphabetically. Group them into four categories of four.

BEANSTALK
BEAT
CHAMOMILE
EYESHADOW
FRIED
GRINCH
HIGHTAIL
HOTFOOT
LANYARD
LEG
PHASE
SOUNDTRACK
SPENT
STAGE
STRETCH
WORN OUT
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Themes

The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.

EXHAUSTEDStraightforward
SEGMENTModerate
ENDING IN UNITS OF LENGTHTricky
ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR FOLLOW SECRETLYDevious
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One word per group

Theme name plus one word from each category.

EXHAUSTEDStraightforward
WORDS MEANING YOU'VE GOT NOTHING LEFT IN THE TANK+ 3 more…
SEGMENTModerate
PARTS OF A JOURNEY OR PROCESS, IN ORDER+ 3 more…
ENDING IN UNITS OF LENGTHTricky
EACH WORD SECRETLY CONTAINS A UNIT OF MEASUREMENT FOR DISTANCE+ 3 more…
ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR FOLLOW SECRETLYDevious
EACH WORD ENDS WITH A HIDDEN WORD MEANING TO SECRETLY FOLLOW SOMEONE+ 3 more…
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Full solution
EXHAUSTEDStraightforward
BEAT,FRIED,SPENT,WORN OUT

BEAT, FRIED, SPENT, and WORN OUT are all informal synonyms for exhausted or completely drained of energy.

SEGMENTModerate
LEG,PHASE,STAGE,STRETCH

LEG, PHASE, STAGE, and STRETCH all refer to a distinct portion or segment of a larger journey, race, or process.

ENDING IN UNITS OF LENGTHTricky
CHAMOMILE,GRINCH,HOTFOOT,LANYARD

CHAMOMILE contains MILE, GRINCH contains INCH, HOTFOOT contains FOOT, and LANYARD contains YARD — all units of length hidden within the words.

ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR FOLLOW SECRETLYDevious
BEANSTALK,EYESHADOW,HIGHTAIL,SOUNDTRACK

BEANSTALK ends in STALK, EYESHADOW ends in SHADOW, HIGHTAIL ends in TAIL, and SOUNDTRACK ends in TRACK — all synonyms for following someone covertly.

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