For the archived Tuesday, August 12, 2025, NYT Connections puzzle (#793), the four categories are Groups of Ten, Places With Lanes, Landmarks in Downtown NYC, and Things With Holes. If you want to solve it yourself first, use the spoiler-safe hints below before opening the full answer.
Spoiler-safe hints for Connections #793
These prompts move from broad nudges toward clearer clues. They are hints published by TechRadar and Parade, not clues attributed to the NYT puzzle editor.
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- Yellow: “2×5=” or “___ toes down.”
- Green: “Change a vowel in ‘lines’” or “Stay in your own ___.”
- Blue: “The Big Apple” or “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”
- Purple: “Hollow parts” or “Can’t hold water.”
Full solution for August 12, 2025
Spoilers below: here are the four categories and their words.
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Yellow — Groups of Ten
- BOWLING PINS
- COMMANDMENTS
- DECADE
- FINGERS
Green — Places With Lanes
- BOWLING ALLEY
- HIGHWAY
- SUPERMARKET
- SWIMMING POOL
Blue — Landmarks in Downtown NYC
- BOWLING GREEN
- BROOKLYN BRIDGE
- CITY HALL
- WALL STREET
Purple — Things With Holes
- BOWLING BALL
- COLANDER
- GOLF COURSE
- SPONGE
Why this board is tricky
Four entries begin with “BOWLING,” but the shared prefix does not identify a single category. BOWLING PINS fit Groups of Ten; BOWLING ALLEY is a place with lanes; BOWLING GREEN is a downtown NYC landmark; and BOWLING BALL belongs with Things With Holes. Checking how each word fits the full set helps avoid grouping by a conspicuous prefix alone.
#1 Best Overall
The blue category is specifically landmarks in downtown New York City, rather than places anywhere in New York. In that group, BOWLING GREEN is a place name.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Connections works
Connections asks players to sort 16 words into four groups of four based on a shared link. TechRadar’s August 11, 2025 guide describes a new puzzle appearing at midnight in each player’s time zone. Try Hard Guides describes a limit of four mistakes and a reset at midnight local time; these are descriptions in those guides, not a guarantee of current game rules.
Quick Recap
Rank #2
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