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Ordinary Synonyms: NORMAL, PLAIN, STANDARD, VANILLA sum up the concept of being plain, typical, or unremarkable.
Abandonment Verbs: DESERT, DUMP, MAROON, STRAND capture the act of leaving or forsaking.
Packaging Specs: COUNT, MEASURE, VOLUME, WEIGHT highlight quantity and measurement on product labels.
“Dark” Phrases: AGES, CHOCOLATE, HORSE, MATTER combine history, idioms, science, and culinary terms linked by the word “dark.”
The New York Times Connections hints remain fascinating with its combination of logical clustering, linguistic subtlety, and lighthearted deception. Monday’s puzzle (Puzzle #743) presented an innocuous-looking grid at first glance, but presented quickly to advanced solvers that the categories were double-layered with meaning and subtle pitfalls.
Sure, players might have initially attempted to categorize by flavour, thinking ‘chocolate,’ ‘vanilla,’ and ‘plain’ were related, only to discover authentic connections were in more abstract relationships. The evolution from clear sets to more obscure wordplay required a consistent, deductive step-by-step approach.
Whether you coasted or struggled with deception, here’s the complete analysis of today’s NYT daily word games.
MATTER, VANILLA, DESERT, PLAIN, COUNT, HORSE, CHOCOLATE, VOLUME, STRAND, AGES, WEIGHT, DUMP, MEASURE, STANDARD, MAROON, NORMAL
Yellow: Plain – NORMAL, PLAIN, STANDARD, VANILLA
An unadorned set that records synonyms and descriptors for what is plain, usual, or uninspiring.
Green: Desert – DESERT, DUMP, MAROON, STRAND
These verbs (and sometimes nouns) all mean leaving someone or something behind, usually in a desolate or isolating situation.
Blue: Packaging Specs – COUNT, MEASURE, VOLUME, WEIGHT
Product label and consumer package language – clear, numerical terms for quantity and volume.
Purple: ‘Dark’ Terms – AGES, CHOCOLATE, HORSE, MATTER
A dense set developed around the adjectival form ‘dark’: ‘dark ages,’ ‘dark chocolate,’ ‘dark horse,’ and ‘dark matter,’ mixing up history, science, idioms, and the world of food.
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle, August 11, was a good model for thematic layering, starting with a literal ‘normal’ category before progressing into the more whimsical ‘dark’ constructions. The false promise of sorting by flavour was a beautiful red herring, and the blue ‘specs’ were surprisingly explicit for a mid-difficulty set. The ‘abandon’ verbs in green tied the puzzle together with a strong thematic throughline.
It’s a reminder that even when a puzzle seems simple, the NYT’s word grids usually hide entwined conceptual strands. The purple ‘dark’ category highlighted how a single plain word could unlock several apparently disparate ideas.
Until tomorrow’s puzzle, happy connecting.
Also Read: NYT Connections August 10, 2025: Hints, Tips, and Solutions
