Crack the Code: NYT Connections Puzzle Hints and Answers – August 20, 2025

NYT Connections, a daily word puzzle from The New York Times, offers a fun way to expand vocabulary and test word association abilities. The game, launched in beta on June 12, 2023, has become incredibly popular, ranking second in popularity among NYT games, just behind Wordle. Players receive 16 words and must sort them into four groups based on hidden connections. The game is designed by Wyna Liu. Players are presented with a set of words and tasked with discovering the commonality between them. Hints are provided. The hints for today’s puzzle focus on two-tone items, pairs of sticks, rotating objects, and curved rods. The four categories for the day are: BLACK-AND-WHITE THINGS, PAIRS OF RODS, THINGS THAT ROTATE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, and RODS THAT CURVE AT ONE END. The answers for the day are: DOMINO, PIANO KEYS, YIN-YANG SYMBOL, ZEBRA; CHOPSTICKS, CLAVES, KNITTING NEEDLES, SKI POLES; BARBER POLE, CAROUSEL, CEILING FAN, LAZY SUSAN; CANDY CANE, CROCHET HOOK, CROOK, CROWBAR. The gameplay involves analyzing the relationships between words, considering synonyms and related terms. The puzzle resets each day at midnight. If a player guesses incorrectly, they lose a life. The game is over if a player makes four mistakes.