These are the hints and complete answers for the New York Times Connections puzzle from Friday, August 8, 2025 (game #789). It is an archived puzzle, not the current day’s board. Connections asks you to divide 16 words into four groups of four.
Hints for NYT Connections #789
Try these clues in order if you want help without immediately seeing the solution.
- Group 1: Restore parity in a sporting contest.
- Group 2: Hand over, as in a gift.
- Group 3: Things you might do during a boring class or meeting.
- Group 4: Consider words that can follow the letters “MS.”
One-word nudges
- Group 1: TIE
- Group 2: VEST
- Group 3: SPACE
- Group 4: DEGREE
Warning: full answers below
The complete word list was DEGREE, DRAW, PAC-MAN, VEST, PAINT, PRESENT, TIE, DOODLE, MARVEL, SQUARE, SPACE, EVEN, DOZE, GRANT, CONFER, and PASS NOTES.
NYT Connections answers for Friday, August 8
Make equal, as a score
DRAW, EVEN, SQUARE, TIE
Bestow
CONFER, GRANT, PRESENT, VEST
Things you might do during a boring class or meeting
DOODLE, DOZE, PASS NOTES, SPACE
Words after “MS”
DEGREE, MARVEL, PAC-MAN, PAINT
These expand to Master of Science degree, Ms. Marvel, Ms. Pac-Man, and Microsoft Paint. The last category is especially easy to miss because PAINT and DOODLE can initially look like a pair of drawing-related words.
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How this archived puzzle fits the game
Connections presents a 4-by-4 grid and asks players to identify four shared connections, each containing four entries. Overlapping associations are intentional, so a word that appears to fit one group may belong elsewhere. The puzzle is available through the NYT website and Games app; archive access depends on the account and subscription terms currently offered by The New York Times.
Quick Recap
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