Hard Puzzle #1148

NYT Connections Hints, Answers & Clues -

NYT Connections #1148 Tip

One category is hiding inside four words that look like something else entirely.

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Today’s Connections Hints

What Makes NYT Connections #1148 Tricky?

Words like ACTUALLY, VIA, THROUGH, and LIKE sit in this grid alongside FLAX, OLGA, ASEA, and LORD — a collision of conversational filler, travel vocabulary, and what look like random nouns or names.

The editor's sharpest trick is that four words contain hidden three-letter U.S. airport codes with one extra letter tacked on at the front — nothing about their surface appearance signals that they are anything other than ordinary words.

Two groups are findable once you spot the right lens, but the purple category in particular requires a very specific piece of knowledge, making this harder than a typical Sunday puzzle.

Connections Hints for Every Word in the August 2, 2026 Puzzle

LIKE

Connections hint for LIKE

A filler word used constantly in casual speech — 'I was, like, totally surprised' — but also a preposition meaning similar to, so do not assume it only belongs with other verbal tics.

AIRPLANE

Connections hint for AIRPLANE

A flying vehicle — but here it completes a two-word phrase with a word that does not appear in the grid.

VIA

Connections hint for VIA

Means by way of or through a particular route — a strong candidate for the 'by means of' group, but also contains a three-letter airport code inside it.

FLAX

Connections hint for FLAX

The plant whose fibres are spun into linen — but look more carefully: a three-letter U.S. airport code is hiding inside this word with one letter added at the start.

À LA

Connections hint for À LA

French for in the style of — as in à la carte or à la mode. Here it is the least obvious entry in a group of two-word phrases.

SO

Connections hint for SO

A filler word used to open sentences or fill pauses — 'So, anyway...' — one of the most common verbal tics in English.

BY

Connections hint for BY

Means by means of or through the agency of — but it also appears in a very common spoken filler phrase, so consider which group actually needs it.

DARK

Connections hint for DARK

An adjective meaning without light — but here it is the first word of a two-word phrase involving a screen display setting.

PER

Connections hint for PER

Means by means of or for each — as in per person, per the instructions. A clean fit for the 'by means of' group.

LORD

Connections hint for LORD

A title of nobility or a religious term — but a three-letter U.S. airport code is embedded inside this word with one letter prepended.

WELL

Connections hint for WELL

A filler word used to begin or pad a sentence — 'Well, I suppose so' — also a noun for a water source, but the filler sense is what matters here.

ASEA

Connections hint for ASEA

Looks like an adjective meaning at sea or adrift — but a three-letter U.S. airport code is hidden inside with one letter added at the front.

THROUGH

Connections hint for THROUGH

Means by means of passing via something — 'I heard through a friend' — a natural fit for the 'by means of' group.

BEAST

Connections hint for BEAST

An animal or a slang term for something impressively powerful — here it is the first word of a two-word phrase about intense effort or performance.

OLGA

Connections hint for OLGA

Looks like a person's name — but a three-letter U.S. airport code is hiding inside this word with one letter prepended at the start.

ACTUALLY

Connections hint for ACTUALLY

A filler word used to soften corrections or add emphasis — 'Actually, I think you'll find...' — one of the most recognisable verbal tics in English.

Traps & Misdirects Hints for NYT Connections Puzzle (#1148)

VIA, THROUGH, BY

VIA means by way of, THROUGH means by means of passing, and BY is the most direct way to say by means of — all three feel like they belong in the same group, and two of them do. One of these three belongs somewhere else entirely. Check whether any of them could be doing a completely different job in this puzzle.

WELL, ACTUALLY, LIKE

WELL, ACTUALLY, and LIKE are all classic spoken filler words — the kind of verbal tics that pad out sentences — so grouping them together feels natural. That instinct is correct for two of them, but one of these three has a second life in this puzzle that has nothing to do with filler. Consider whether any of them could mean something more directional.

LORD, OLGA, ASEA, FLAX

LORD looks like a title, OLGA looks like a name, ASEA looks like a nautical adjective meaning adrift, and FLAX looks like the plant used to make linen — four words that seem to belong to completely different domains. That surface reading is the trap. Each of these words contains a hidden three-letter airport code with one extra letter prepended, and that is the only thing they share.

À LA, DARK, BEAST, AIRPLANE

À LA is a French phrase meaning in the style of, which feels out of place next to DARK, BEAST, and AIRPLANE — but all four of these words complete the phrase ___ MODE. AIRPLANE MODE is a phone setting, DARK MODE is a screen display option, BEAST MODE is a slang term for intense effort, and À LA MODE means served with ice cream (or in the current fashion). The shared word MODE is invisible in the grid, which makes this group easy to miss.

Connections Hints for August 2, 2026

Yellow Connections Hints

Yellow Category Hint

Spoken verbal tics that pad out sentences

Think: Think: things you say without meaning to

Yellow Category Name

FILLER WORDS

Yellow Category Words
Reveal word 1 ACTUALLY
Reveal word 2 LIKE
Reveal word 3 SO
Reveal word 4 WELL

Green Connections Hints

Green Category Hint

Prepositions all meaning through or via something

Think: Think: route, method, channel

Green Category Name

BY MEANS OF

Green Category Words
Reveal word 1 BY
Reveal word 2 PER
Reveal word 3 THROUGH
Reveal word 4 VIA

Blue Connections Hints

Blue Category Hint

Each word precedes the same invisible common word

Think: Think: phone settings, screen options

Blue Category Name

___ MODE

Blue Category Words
Reveal word 1 AIRPLANE
Reveal word 2 BEAST
Reveal word 3 DARK
Reveal word 4 À LA

Purple Connections Hints

Purple Category Hint

Each word hides a three-letter airport code inside it

Think: Think: LAX, SEA, ORD, LGA

Purple Category Name

U.S. AIRPORT CODES PLUS STARTING LETTER

Purple Category Words
Reveal word 1 ASEA
Reveal word 2 FLAX
Reveal word 3 LORD
Reveal word 4 OLGA

NYT Connections Answers for August 2, 2026

FILLER WORDS ACTUALLY, LIKE, SO, WELL
BY MEANS OF BY, PER, THROUGH, VIA
___ MODE AIRPLANE, BEAST, DARK, À LA
U.S. AIRPORT CODES PLUS STARTING LETTER ASEA, FLAX, LORD, OLGA

NYT Connections Answers Explained: August 2, 2026

FILLER WORDS

ACTUALLY, LIKE, SO, and WELL are all filler words — the verbal tics people use in casual speech to buy time, soften statements, or pad out sentences without adding meaning.

ACTUALLY
Used to introduce a correction or add emphasis — 'Actually, I think you're wrong' — a classic filler that often signals mild disagreement.
LIKE
The quintessential filler of informal speech — 'I was, like, so surprised' — used constantly to hedge or approximate without adding content.
SO
Used to open sentences or bridge pauses — 'So, anyway...' or 'So I was thinking...' — one of the most common conversational fillers in English.
WELL
Used to begin a response or soften what follows — 'Well, I suppose...' — a filler that signals the speaker is about to say something tentative or reluctant.

BY MEANS OF

BY, PER, THROUGH, and VIA are all prepositions meaning by means of or through a particular channel — each is a different way of expressing the same idea of method or route.

BY
The most basic English preposition for means or agency — 'sent by courier', 'made by hand' — also appears in filler phrases, which is the trap.
PER
Means by means of or in accordance with — 'per your instructions', 'per person' — a slightly formal synonym for by.
THROUGH
Means by means of passing via something or someone — 'I heard through a friend', 'processed through the system' — the most spatial of the four.
VIA
Latin for by way of, now standard English — 'fly via Dubai', 'contact me via email' — also contains the airport code VIA, but belongs here for its meaning.

___ MODE

AIRPLANE, BEAST, DARK, and À LA each precede the word MODE to form a familiar two-word phrase — AIRPLANE MODE, BEAST MODE, DARK MODE, and À LA MODE.

AIRPLANE
AIRPLANE MODE is the phone setting that disables wireless signals during a flight — one of the most recognised compound phrases in modern tech vocabulary.
BEAST
BEAST MODE is a slang phrase meaning a state of intense, powerful, unstoppable effort or performance — popularised in sports culture.
DARK
DARK MODE is a display setting on phones and computers that switches the background to black to reduce eye strain in low light.
À LA
À LA MODE is a French-origin phrase meaning in the current fashion, or in American usage, served with a scoop of ice cream — the most unexpected entry in this group.

U.S. AIRPORT CODES PLUS STARTING LETTER

ASEA, FLAX, LORD, and OLGA each contain a three-letter U.S. airport code with one extra letter added at the very beginning — A+SEA, F+LAX, L+ORD, O+LGA.

ASEA
Remove the leading A and you get SEA — the code for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington state.
FLAX
Remove the leading F and you get LAX — the code for Los Angeles International Airport, one of the most recognised airport codes in the world.
LORD
Remove the leading L and you get ORD — the code for O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois.
OLGA
Remove the leading O and you get LGA — the code for LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
Vaibhav Rajput

About the author

Vaibhav Rajput

I solve the NYT Connections puzzle every morning and write up the traps and hints I wish I’d had — built for fellow streak-keepers.

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