NYT Connections Hints for August 20, 2026 — Puzzle #1166

Sixteen words, four hidden categories. Hints reveal structure, then the grouping.

Hints and answers for NYT Connections #1166 on August 20, 2026: how many groups there are, a masked theme for each group, then the four categories one at a time, then all sixteen words and the full grouping.

Puzzle date: August 20, 2026 (2026-08-20) · #1166 · Source: the game's public daily data (https://www.nytimes.com/svc/connections/v2/2026-08-20.json). Hints are derived from that day's verified answer data — no invented clues, difficulty scores or word claims.

1. The shape of the puzzle

There are 4 categories of 4 words each (16 words total).

2. The four themes, masked

Each theme below keeps its word shapes and the first letter of every word:

K _ _ _ _ O _ P _ _ _ _
K _ _ _ _ O _ N _ _ _ _ _ _
S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S _ _ _ _ _ T _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ M _ _ _ _
S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ W _ _ _ C _ _ _ _ _ _ Z _ _ _ _ _ A _ _ _ _ _ _

3. Reveal a theme, one at a time

Show theme 1

KINDS OF PIZZA

Show theme 2

KINDS OF NUMBERS

Show theme 3

SIMILARLY SHAPED TYPOGRAPHICAL MARKS

Show theme 4

STARTING WITH CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMALS

NYT Connections answer for August 20, 2026 — puzzle #1166

KINDS OF PIZZA

HAWAIIAN, WHITE, DIAVOLA, MEAT LOVERS

KINDS OF NUMBERS

TELEPHONE, SERIAL, ATOMIC, SOCIAL SECURITY

SIMILARLY SHAPED TYPOGRAPHICAL MARKS

APOSTROPHE, OKINA, COMMA, CEDILLA

STARTING WITH CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMALS

OXFORD, RATCHET, PIGMENT, DRAGONFLY

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