Connections Hints

Monday, August 24, 2026

Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — August 24, 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.

ARCH
BESET
CHIEF
DESERVE
EX-LOVE
EYELET
FACE
HEEL
JOBBER
KAYFABE
MAIN
MULLET
PIKE
PRIME
SOLE
TANG
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Themes

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

FISHStraightforward
PRINCIPALModerate
PRO-WRESTLING LINGOTricky
LETTER HOMOPHONE PLUS TENNIS TERMDevious
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One word per group

Theme name plus one word from each category.

FISHStraightforward
ALL OF THESE CAN SWIM IN THE OCEAN OR ON YOUR PLATE+ 3 more…
PRINCIPALModerate
WORDS MEANING MOST IMPORTANT OR LEADING+ 3 more…
PRO-WRESTLING LINGOTricky
TERMS YOU'D HEAR A WRESTLING COMMENTATOR USE+ 3 more…
LETTER HOMOPHONE PLUS TENNIS TERMDevious
EACH HIDES A LETTER SOUND FOLLOWED BY A TENNIS WORD+ 3 more…
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Full solution
FISHStraightforward
MULLET,PIKE,SOLE,TANG

MULLET, PIKE, SOLE, and TANG are all types of fish

PRINCIPALModerate
ARCH,CHIEF,MAIN,PRIME

ARCH, CHIEF, MAIN, and PRIME all mean principal or primary

PRO-WRESTLING LINGOTricky
FACE,HEEL,JOBBER,KAYFABE

FACE (hero), HEEL (villain), JOBBER (designated loser), and KAYFABE (maintaining the fiction) are all pro-wrestling terminology

LETTER HOMOPHONE PLUS TENNIS TERMDevious
BESET,DESERVE,EX-LOVE,EYELET

BESET = B + SET, DESERVE = D + SERVE, EX-LOVE = L + LOVE, EYELET = I + LET — each is a letter homophone combined with a tennis scoring term

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