NYT Connections — August 21, 2026
Hints — one at a time
Hint 1 of 5
Today's board moves from basic survival needs shared by most creatures, to shouted cues that kick off a show, to phrases that follow the word "kids," and finally to phrases that follow "once in a."
Hint 2 of 5
Yellow (easiest): every one of these is something nearly every animal needs just to stay alive.
Hint 3 of 5
Green: shout any of these and you're signaling that a performance is about to start.
Hint 4 of 5
Blue: add "kids" after any of these words and you'll get a familiar phrase or movie title.
Hint 5 of 5
Purple (hardest): each of these completes the phrase describing something rare that only happens occasionally.
The answer — spoilers!
Reveal the full answer
Things Most Animals Need
NUTRITION · OXYGEN · SLEEP · WATER
Calls To Begin A Performance
ACTION · CURTAIN UP · PLACES · SHOWTIME
___ Kids
COMEBACK · KARATE · SUNDANCE · WIMPY
Once In A ___
BLUE MOON · GENERATION · LIFETIME · WHILE
This puzzle by the numbers
- Once In A ___
- CURTAIN UP
Counted from our own archive of NYT Connections answers — not published anywhere else.
