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August 16, 2026 - 18:06

If you are stuck on today's New York Times Connections puzzle, you are not alone. The game, which asks players to sort 16 words into four hidden groups of four, can get tricky. For August 17, puzzle number 1163, the categories range from straightforward to a bit sneaky. Here is a breakdown to help you solve it without spoiling everything at once.

First, a few general hints. One group is about things you might find in a kitchen drawer, but not the obvious utensils. Another group involves words that can precede a common suffix to form new terms. A third category deals with a type of informal speech or slang. The last group is a set of homophones, which means words that sound alike but are spelled differently.

Still stuck? Here are more specific clues. For the kitchen group, think of small, flat tools used for serving or flipping, but not spatulas. For the suffix group, consider adding "board" to each word. For the slang group, these are short, casual ways to say "yes" or "okay". The homophones are all two-letter words that sound like letters of the alphabet.

If you need the actual answers, here they are. The first group is "Small kitchen tools" and includes peeler, grater, zester, and corer. The second group, "Words that pair with board," includes chalk, clip, surf, and dart. The third group, "Casual affirmatives," includes yep, yeah, sure, and alright. The final group, "Homophones of letters," includes bee, sea, queue, and why.

That wraps up today's puzzle. Check back tomorrow for fresh hints and answers.