NYT Connections Hints for August 25, 2026 — Puzzle #1171

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

Hints and answers for NYT Connections #1171 on August 25, 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 25, 2026 (2026-08-25) · #1171 · Source: the game's public daily data (https://www.nytimes.com/svc/connections/v2/2026-08-25.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:

S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
S _ _ _ _ P _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
S _ _ _ _ _ _ K _ _ _ F _ _ _ A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ W _ _ _ T _ _
E _ _ _ _ _ I _ I _ _ C _ _ _ _ O _ _ _ _ _

3. Reveal a theme, one at a time

Show theme 1

SURFACE-LEVEL

Show theme 2

SCI-FI PHENOMENA

Show theme 3

STEPHEN KING FILM ADAPTATIONS, WITH "THE"

Show theme 4

ENDING IN ICE CREAM ORDERS

NYT Connections answer for August 25, 2026 — puzzle #1171

SURFACE-LEVEL

SUPERFICIAL, ONE-DIMENSIONAL, COSMETIC, SKIN-DEEP

SCI-FI PHENOMENA

HYPERSPACE, TIME WARP, PARALLEL UNIVERSE, TELEPORTATION

STEPHEN KING FILM ADAPTATIONS, WITH "THE"

RUNNING MAN, LONG WALK, GREEN MILE, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

ENDING IN ICE CREAM ORDERS

HARLEM SHAKE, LICKETY-SPLIT, TRAFFIC CONE, INSIDE SCOOP

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