Waking up and opening the New York Times Games app feels like a gamble. Some mornings, you see the connections immediately. Other days, you’re staring at sixteen words that seem to have absolutely nothing in common, and you’re one "One Away" notification from throwing your phone across the room. If that’s where you are with the NYT Connections hints August 13 2025, take a breath. It happens to the best of us. Connections is notoriously tricky because it relies on your brain's ability to categorize things while Wyna Liu—the game’s mastermind—is actively trying to lead you down a garden path of red herrings.
Today’s puzzle is a classic example of that lateral thinking. You might see two words that seem like they belong in a group about gardening, only to realize later that one of them is actually part of a category about 90s alternative rock bands or types of pasta. It’s frustrating. It’s brilliant. It’s why we keep coming back.
What is actually going on with the NYT Connections hints August 13 2025?
To beat this game, you have to understand the logic behind the grid. The colors—Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple—represent the difficulty curve. Yellow is usually straightforward. It’s the "Bread and Butter" category. Green is slightly more abstract. Blue often involves specific knowledge or slightly more complex wordplay. Purple? Purple is the wild card. It’s usually "Words that follow X" or "Words that start with a body part."
For the NYT Connections hints August 13 2025, the difficulty spike hits right around the transition from Green to Blue. You might find yourself grouping things by their literal definition, which is exactly what the game wants you to do. Instead, look for synonyms that aren't quite perfect, or words that share a prefix.
Let's talk about the Yellow group today
The easiest category today is honestly a bit of a relief. It focuses on a shared physical attribute. If you look at the words Brim, Edge, Lip, and Rim, you’ll see they all describe the boundary of a container or a flat surface. There isn't much of a trick here, which is why it’s Yellow. It’s the foundational group that clears out some of the "noise" on the board so you can see the more difficult stuff.
Most people get stuck because they try to pair "Brim" with something like "Hat" or "Cap," but those words aren't there. Once you realize the focus is on the part of the object rather than the object itself, it clicks.
Shifting into the Green category
The Green category for the NYT Connections hints August 13 2025 is where things get a bit more "wordy." Think about actions. Specifically, think about what you do when you're trying to get someone's attention or influence them. The words here are Coax, Jaw, Prompt, and Urge.
Wait, "Jaw"? That’s the red herring.
👉 See also: Dandys World Ship Chart: What Most People Get Wrong
Usually, we think of a jaw as a bone. But in this context, to "jaw" at someone is to talk or pester them. It’s a slightly archaic usage, which is a classic Wyna Liu move. By including a word that has a very common noun meaning but is being used as a specific verb, the game forces you to rethink your entire strategy. If you were trying to put "Jaw" in a category with "Teeth" or "Mouth," you'd be stuck forever because those words aren't on the grid.
The Blue category is all about specific knowledge
Blue today is actually quite fun if you’re a fan of a certain type of media or hobby. Sometimes the Blue category is "Types of [Blank]," and today is no different. We are looking at types of investments or financial instruments.
The words are Bond, Option, Stock, and CD.
The "CD" is the one that trips people up. In 2025, we don't think about Compact Discs much, but in a financial sense, a Certificate of Deposit is a staple. If you were looking for "Record" or "Tape" to go with CD, you’d be searching in vain. This is a great example of how Connections uses abbreviations to hide the theme. Seeing "CD" next to "Stock" makes the connection obvious, but seeing "CD" next to "Rim" (from the Yellow category) might make you think of computer hardware. Don't fall for it.
The dreaded Purple category
Now, for the NYT Connections hints August 13 2025 Purple category. This is the one that usually requires a "leap of faith" or simply being left with the last four words. Today’s theme is "Words that can follow 'Double'."
- Agent (Double Agent)
- Cross (Double Cross)
- Date (Double Date)
- Take (Double Take)
This is a classic "Blank ___" category. The reason it’s Purple is that "Cross" and "Date" could easily fit into other themes. You might see "Date" and think of a calendar or a fruit. You might see "Cross" and think of a shape or an angry emotion. The only way to solve this is to look at the words and try to find a common prefix or suffix that fits all four.
Why this puzzle feels harder than usual
There is a psychological phenomenon called functional fixedness. It’s when you see an object (or a word) and can only think of its most common use. Connections preys on this. When you see "Bond," you might think of James Bond or a literal glue. You have to break that fixedness to see it as a financial term.
✨ Don't miss: Amy Rose Sex Doll: What Most People Get Wrong
On August 13, 2025, the grid is particularly heavy on words that function as both nouns and verbs. "Prompt," "Urge," "Brim," and "Cross" all flip-flop between parts of speech. This creates a "linguistic fog" that makes it hard to see the categories clearly.
Tactics to keep your streak alive
If you’re still struggling with the NYT Connections hints August 13 2025, try the "Shuffle" button. It’s not just there for show. Our brains tend to create patterns based on spatial proximity. If "CD" is next to "Rim," your brain will insist they are related. Shuffling the board breaks those false patterns and allows you to see the words in a vacuum.
Another tip: Say the words out loud. Sometimes hearing the word helps you associate it with a phrase you’ve heard before, like "Double Take" or "Certificate of Deposit."
Final breakdown of the August 13 2025 grid
If you just want the answers without the fluff, here is the final grouping for today's puzzle.
Yellow: Edge of a Container
- Brim
- Edge
- Lip
- Rim
Green: To Persuade or Encourage
- Coax
- Jaw
- Prompt
- Urge
Blue: Financial Assets
🔗 Read more: A Little to the Left Calendar: Why the Daily Tidy is Actually Genius
- Bond
- CD
- Option
- Stock
Purple: Double ____
- Agent
- Cross
- Date
- Take
Moving forward with your daily puzzle routine
Solving the Connections puzzle is as much about discipline as it is about vocabulary. One of the best ways to improve is to solve the Yellow and Green categories first to clear the board. Don't just guess. If you have three words that fit a category and you're unsure about the fourth, look at the remaining words. Is one of them a better fit? Does one of them fit into a different category you haven't identified yet?
For the NYT Connections hints August 13 2025, the "Jaw" and "CD" traps were the biggest hurdles. Once you bypass those, the rest of the puzzle falls into place quite nicely.
To sharpen your skills for tomorrow, pay attention to the "Purple" categories over the next few days. They almost always follow a pattern of "Words that share a prefix/suffix" or "Words that are part of a compound word." If you start looking for those patterns immediately, you'll find that the Blue and Purple categories often reveal themselves before the Green ones do.
The most important takeaway is to take your time. There is no timer on Connections. If you’re stuck, put the phone down, get a coffee, and come back in twenty minutes. A fresh set of eyes is the most powerful tool in your puzzle-solving arsenal. Stick with it, and your streak will remain intact.
Take a look at the grid again and see if the "Double" prefix works for any other words you were considering. Usually, the NYT editors ensure there is only one perfect solution, but seeing why a "wrong" word doesn't fit is the key to mastering the game. Focus on the verbs tomorrow; they seem to be a recurring theme this week. Keep your eyes peeled for more "Words that can be both a noun and a verb" because that is the primary way the difficulty is dialed up in the current rotation of puzzles.