The August 20 NYT Connections puzzle brings together words that may seem unrelated at first.
The four categories cover different pizza varieties, types of numbers, typographical marks with similar shapes, and words that start with Chinese zodiac animals.
The yellow group includes DIAVOLA, HAWAIIAN, MEAT LOVERS, and WHITE, while the green group features ATOMIC, SERIAL, SOCIAL SECURITY, and TELEPHONE.
NYT Connections’ August 20 grid is now live, featuring a wide range of themes. From terms indicating pizza types, topographical marks, and Chinese Zodiac signs, today’s grid is exciting yet challenging. However, looking at words like DIAVOLA, SOCIAL SECURITY, COMMA, PIGMENTdoesn’t really show any prominent connection until you give it some thought. Therefore, sound word knowledge is necessary.
If you are struggling with today’s NYT Connections and can’t determine the exact categories, here are the clues and solutions.
NYT experts rate the Connections puzzles out of 5 to hint at the difficulty level. Today’s challenge is rated 2.8 out of 5. Players’ personal ratings may differ, but experts say that the themes for August 20 are extremely easy.
Here are the hints to make the process easier:
Easiest Group (Yellow): Think of terms that indicate different types of pizzas.
Moderate Group (Green): The green group has the most common words. We use these phrases, and they are sort of numbers.
Challenging Group (Blue): If you work with topographies, you must know that these are all similarly shaped marks.
Most Difficult Group (Purple): This is the final category, and these words are related to Chinese zodiac animals.
Also Read: How to Make Your Own NYT Connections Game?
Hopefully, the above hints have directed your thoughts in the right direction. If not, here’s another set of clues to check out:
Yellow Group: DIAVOLA
Green Group: SERIAL
Blue Group: COMMA
Purple Group: RATCHET
Answers for August 20, 2026
Solvers must have reached near the themes of today’s Connections with the above hints, but if there is still confusion, here are the complete solutions:
Yellow Category (KINDS OF PIZZA): DIAVOLA, HAWAIIAN, MEAT LOVERS, WHITE
Green Category (KINDS OF NUMBERS): ATOMIC, SERIAL, SOCIAL SECURITY, TELEPHONE
Blue Category (SIMILARLY SHAPED TYPOGRAPHICAL MARKS): APOSTROPHE, CEDILLA, COMMA, OKINA
Purple Category (STARTING WITH CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMALS): DRAGONFLY, OXFORD, PIGMENT, RATCHET
For further clarity, check out the image below:
These are the four categories for today’s puzzle, and hopefully, most players have guessed the word sets without the answer. So, congratulations to all who have solved it!
Unlike traditional crosswords or word searches, NYT Connections asks players to identify subtle links between the given words and form four groups of four. Every day, it presents a grid of 16 words, and the objective is to group them into four sets of four.
The twist is that each set must be formed around a specific theme. To solve this puzzle, players must be aware of the connection between particular words.
The daily challenge from The New York Times shows how modern word puzzles are evolving. They’re not really stuck on simple vocabulary checks anymore. Instead, these puzzles have become little exercises in associational reasoning and a sort of contextual watchfulness. The July 20 grid once again showed that even the most familiar words can seem unrelated until players shift their angle and consider thematic or cultural links.
Connections make you weigh a few possibilities first before you decide on a grouping. The thought process aligns with real-world decision-making, where incomplete information must be organized into coherent categories.
Also Read: Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers for August 19, 2026