The yellow group is about talking words and includes prattler, chatterbox, blabbermouth, and windbag.
The greens relate to fortified wines and include marsala, port, sherry, and vermouth.
The blues include the "_____ rock" phrases: classic, little, and Plymouth.
The purples grease the wheels before "watch": Dartmouth, dashboard, flywheel, and Rushmore.
In its 800th edition, this August 19th NYT Connections puzzle is a subtle nod to some wordplay, cultural references, and smartly linked sets of 16 words. While everyone feels special during the 800th edition of the game, today throws in some pretty cool little surprises as well. This one makes you think a bit about patterns, the beginnings of words, and category overlaps.
The NYT Connections is a very popular daily word game from The New York Times. Each puzzle is presented with 16 words, and players thus need to put each one into one of four groups of four words. Every set shares a common theme; the words may fit into several categories.
Not to mention, groups are indicated by colors nearing the difficulty levels: yellow usually means the easiest, blue and green are intermediate, and purple generally identifies the most difficult connections or wordplays. Finally, there is a limit on how many times a player can submit; however, with every wrong guess, one life is lost. Only four wrong chances, or it's over.
VERMOUTH
PLYMOUTH
CLASSIC
DASHBOARD
BLABBERMOUTH
DARTMOUTH
LITTLE
PORT
FLYWHEEL
CHATTERBOX
RUSHMORE
MARSALA
WINDBAG
THE
SHERRY
PRATTLER
Yellow Group — quite the talker
These words describe people who speak excessively or cannot stop talking.
One-word hint: PRATTLER
Green Group — fortified wines
Think of strong grape-based wines often enjoyed as a dessert or an aperitif.
One-word hint: PORT
Blue Group — _____ rock
Focus on phrases or names that accompany "rock" in cultural or geographical references.
One-word hint: THE
Purple Group — starting with ways to move quickly
Think about words that start with actions or movements that suggest speed or motion.
One-word hint: RUSHMORE
Yellow Group — quite the talker
BLABBERMOUTH, CHATTERBOX, PRATTLER, WINDBAG
Green Group — fortified wines
MARSALA, PORT, SHERRY, VERMOUTH
Blue Group — _____ rock
CLASSIC, LITTLE, PLYMOUTH, THE
Purple Group — starting with ways to move quickly
DARTMOUTH, DASHBOARD, FLYWHEEL, RUSHMORE
Today’s puzzle presents a mix of straightforward and tricky connections. The yellow “mouth” words immediately stand out due to their common suffix, though they also act as a red herring in combination with other terms.
The green fortified wines are an accessible group for most players. For the blue rock group, the set includes both geographic and cultural references, so attention to the multiple meanings of familiar phrases is needed.
Finally, the purple group bases its remote connection on the beginnings of words, rewarding players who acknowledge the prefixes based on speed.
The August 19 NYT Connections puzzle balances accessibility with subtle wordplay. In other words, its combinations of suffixes, fortified wines, cultural allusions, and word beginnings provide diverse logical and creative challenges.
Today's edition feels in between moderate and approachable compared to previous puzzles; spotting words with variable meanings and identifying common suffixes is a great help to smoothly get through the game.
NYT Connections daily offers something new that challenges players on logic, wordplay, and cultural knowledge.