Connections archive · Puzzle #1165
NYT Connections Hints & Answers — August 19, 2026 (#1165)
Group hints and answers for the NYT Connections puzzle on . Get a spoiler-free nudge for each group, or reveal the full solution — your call.
Difficulty: Hard
Spoiler control
Choose how much to reveal
Reveal one step at a time — nudges first, full answers only if you ask.
1. Group nudges spoiler-free
- Yellow: Informal ways to say something is easy.
- Green: Verbs for covering something up or keeping it out of sight.
- Blue: The first half of four familiar _____ball sports.
- Purple: Sound-alikes of Antz, Coco, Rio, and Soul — not the titles themselves.
2. One word from each group a foothold
- Yellow: BREEZE
- Green: BLANKET
- Blue: BASE
- Purple: ANTS
3. The four category names no words yet
- Yellow: PIECE OF CAKE
- Green: CONCEAL
- Blue: WORDS BEFORE "BALL" IN SPORT NAMES
- Purple: HOMOPHONES OF CGI-ANIMATED FILMS
4. Reveal groups one by one
Yellow group
PIECE OF CAKE
- BREEZE
- CINCH
- PICNIC
- SNAP
Green group
CONCEAL
- BLANKET
- HIDE
- MASK
- OBSCURE
Blue group
WORDS BEFORE "BALL" IN SPORT NAMES
- BASE
- BASKET
- FOOT
- PICKLE
Purple group
HOMOPHONES OF CGI-ANIMATED FILMS
- ANTS
- COCOA
- RHEO
- SEOUL
5. Reveal everything full spoilers
Yellow — PIECE OF CAKE
- BREEZE
- CINCH
- PICNIC
- SNAP
Green — CONCEAL
- BLANKET
- HIDE
- MASK
- OBSCURE
Blue — WORDS BEFORE "BALL" IN SPORT NAMES
- BASE
- BASKET
- FOOT
- PICKLE
Purple — HOMOPHONES OF CGI-ANIMATED FILMS
- ANTS
- COCOA
- RHEO
- SEOUL
NYT Connections #1165 — quick answers
What are today's Connections categories?
PIECE OF CAKE; CONCEAL; WORDS BEFORE "BALL" IN SPORT NAMES; HOMOPHONES OF CGI-ANIMATED FILMS.
What are all the answers?
- PIECE OF CAKE: BREEZE, CINCH, PICNIC, SNAP
- CONCEAL: BLANKET, HIDE, MASK, OBSCURE
- WORDS BEFORE "BALL" IN SPORT NAMES: BASE, BASKET, FOOT, PICKLE
- HOMOPHONES OF CGI-ANIMATED FILMS: ANTS, COCOA, RHEO, SEOUL
Also for: Connections hints 8/19/26, 8-19-26, 8 19 26, 8/19/2026, and puzzle #1165.
Also stuck on Strands, Wordle, Spelling Bee or Mini Crossword ?
Today's puzzle, in a nutshell
Yellow and blue are clean once you see ease and sport prefixes. Purple is the trap — movie-title homophones, not places or drinks.