Spoiler warning: This article covers NYT Connections puzzle #786, released on August 5, 2025, and includes the full answer. Hints are arranged from broadest to most revealing.
Spoiler warning: This page includes progressively stronger hints and the complete solution to NYT Connections puzzle #786, released on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. If you are still solving, stop before the answer sections.
Need a hint for Connections #786?
Here are broad clues for the four groups, without giving away the individual words:
- Yellow: Names or descriptions for urban underground trains.
- Green: Cooking actions that reduce food into smaller pieces.
- Blue: Familiar accessories or features used to decorate a traditional snowman.
- Purple: Each answer can come before the word code.
One-word clues
If the broad hints are not enough, these one-word nudges point toward one answer in each group:
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- Yellow: TUBE
- Green: GRATE
- Blue: SCARF
- Purple: HEALTH
What are the NYT Connections answers for August 5, 2025?
The four groups in Connections puzzle #786 were:
Yellow: SUBTERRANEAN TRANSIT
METRO, SUBWAY, TUBE, UNDERGROUND
All four words refer to underground urban rail systems or the places where those systems operate. “Tube” is particularly associated with London’s Underground, while “metro,” “subway,” and “underground” are used more broadly in different cities and regions.
Green: MAKE INTO SMALLER PIECES WHILE COOKING
CUBE, GRATE, MINCE, SLICE
These are food-preparation methods. You can cube, grate, mince, or slice an ingredient to cut it into smaller pieces, although the resulting shapes and textures are different.
Blue: USED TO DECORATE A SNOWMAN
CARROT, COAL, PIPE, SCARF
This group uses the familiar storybook image of a snowman: a carrot for the nose, coal for eyes or buttons, a pipe, and a scarf. These are conventional decorative details, not requirements for building every snowman.
Rank #2
Purple: ___ CODE
DRESS, HEALTH, SECRET, ZIP
Each word forms a phrase when followed by code: dress code, health code, secret code, and ZIP code. This was the trickiest group because “secret code” is less familiar as a fixed expression than the other combinations, making SECRET an easy word to overlook.
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For reference, the 16 words in puzzle #786 were:
DRESS, SCARF, SUBWAY, GRATE, PIPE, TUBE, CUBE, ZIP, HEALTH, CARROT, UNDERGROUND, SECRET, METRO, MINCE, COAL, SLICE
| Group | Words |
|---|---|
| Subterranean transit | METRO, SUBWAY, TUBE, UNDERGROUND |
| Make into smaller pieces while cooking | CUBE, GRATE, MINCE, SLICE |
| Used to decorate a snowman | CARROT, COAL, PIPE, SCARF |
| ___ CODE | DRESS, HEALTH, SECRET, ZIP |
How to spot the connections
The strongest starting point is the transport group. METRO, SUBWAY, TUBE, and UNDERGROUND all point toward rail transit beneath a city, leaving fewer misleading possibilities on the board.
Rank #3
Next, CARROT and COAL strongly suggest a snowman. Once PIPE and SCARF are added, the blue group is complete.
The remaining cooking words are action-oriented: CUBE, GRATE, MINCE, and SLICE. That leaves the four words that pair with code. The purple category is a typical Connections wordplay group: the relationship is not a shared object or theme, but a phrase that each word helps complete.
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Connections presents 16 words that must be divided into four groups of four. The groups are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is generally the most approachable, followed by green and blue, while purple is usually the most wordplay-heavy. Players can make up to four mistakes before the game ends.
Rank #4
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A new daily puzzle is released according to the game’s schedule, and the calendar date can matter across time zones. Because this solution is for the historical puzzle released on August 5, 2025, it is more precise to call it puzzle #786 rather than “today’s” puzzle without a date. Independent answer guides, including TechRadar’s August 5 Connections coverage and Forbes’ puzzle #786 guide, report the same board and solution.
Want more NYT-style puzzles?
Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! is a physical New York Times Games puzzle book that adapts several NYT Games formats for solo solving, family game night, or gifting. It is a related collection—not a claim that the book contains this specific August 5, 2025 Connections board. Publisher information lists Authors Equity as the publisher and October 21, 2025 as the publication date; check the retailer or publisher listing for current availability.
Connections is also part of the broader NYT Games ecosystem. Access can vary by platform and subscription, so consult the official NYT Games subscription information for current terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the NYT Connections answers for August 5, 2025?
The answers were METRO, SUBWAY, TUBE, UNDERGROUND; CUBE, GRATE, MINCE, SLICE; CARROT, COAL, PIPE, SCARF; and DRESS, HEALTH, SECRET, ZIP.
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What was the purple category in Connections puzzle #786?
The purple group was DRESS, HEALTH, SECRET, and ZIP because each word can be followed by “code”: dress code, health code, secret code, and ZIP code.
Which Connections words referred to underground trains?
The board had METRO, SUBWAY, TUBE, and UNDERGROUND, all referring to subterranean urban transit.
The Bottom Line
The August 5, 2025 NYT Connections answers were METRO, SUBWAY, TUBE, UNDERGROUND; CUBE, GRATE, MINCE, SLICE; CARROT, COAL, PIPE, SCARF; and DRESS, HEALTH, SECRET, ZIP.
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