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NYT Connections for Sunday, August 31, 2025, is puzzle #812. Start with the spoiler-light clues below if you want a nudge; the full categories and four-word groups are separated beneath them.
Today’s Connections board
The puzzle asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four. Here is the August 31 board:
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DRUM, BASS, FISH, CARDS, FIDDLE, ROAST, DOES, FLAME, CHOP, AXES, BLAST, DICE, COORDINATE, PIECES, BOARD, BASH.
Spoiler-light hints for August 31
- Yellow: A forceful way to criticize or put someone down.
- Green: Think of what you might need for a family board-game night.
- Blue: These words have more than one pronunciation, with different meanings.
- Purple: Complete “___ and stones may break your bones”; the missing word rhymes with “picks.”
Connections #812 answers
Spoilers below: the category names and complete groups are listed next.
#1 Best Overall
| Color | Category | Words | Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | CRITICIZE HARSHLY | BASH, BLAST, FLAME, ROAST | Each can mean to attack or criticize someone harshly. |
| Green | COMMON COMPONENTS OF BOARD GAMES | BOARD, CARDS, DICE, PIECES | These are familiar components used in board games. |
| Blue | HETERONYMS | AXES, BASS, COORDINATE, DOES | Each spelling has distinct pronunciations associated with different meanings. |
| Purple | ___STICKS | CHOP, DRUM, FIDDLE, FISH | Each combines with “sticks” to form chopsticks, drumsticks, fiddlesticks, or fishsticks. |
Why the word groups can be tricky
Yellow uses verbs for criticism
BASH, BLAST, FLAME, and ROAST all describe harsh criticism. The words can also have other meanings, so look for the shared sense rather than a literal action.
Green mixes game equipment
BOARD, CARDS, DICE, and PIECES are common components of tabletop games. In this group, “board” means a game board, not an organization or panel.
Blue hinges on pronunciation
AXES, BASS, COORDINATE, and DOES are heteronyms: the same spelling can be pronounced differently to express different meanings. For example, “bass” can refer to a low musical range or a type of fish.
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CHOP, DRUM, FIDDLE, and FISH each come before “sticks.” The resulting terms are chopsticks, drumsticks, fiddlesticks, and fishsticks.
Rank #3
How Connections is structured
Connections presents 16 terms for players to sort into four related sets of four. A 2024 paper describes that general format; its benchmark findings do not establish how difficult this particular daily puzzle was for players overall.
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