Saturday’s NYT Connections puzzle 811 brought us a really interesting mix of categories today! This one had me scratching my head for a while, especially with some of those sneaky word meanings that could fit multiple groups.
If you’re staring at those 16 words wondering how they possibly connect, don’t worry – I’ve cracked all four categories and I’m here to walk you through the logic behind each grouping.
Hints for Each Category
Before I spill all the answers, here are some clues to help you solve it yourself:
Yellow Category Hint: Think about different types of music you’d hear on the radio or streaming services
Green Category Hint: These are all things that definitely don’t impress anyone – quite the opposite!
Blue Category Hint: When you’re absolutely crushing it at something, you might use one of these words
Purple Category Hint: These are all last names of people who create modern classical music
Tricky Words to Watch: Some of these words have multiple meanings that could mislead you into the wrong category!
My Solving Strategy
I started by looking for the most obvious connections first. The music category jumped out at me pretty quickly since those are all genres I recognize from my playlists.
The trickiest part was figuring out which words belonged in the “bad” category versus the “good” category. Words like SUCK and BLOW can mean both negative things and positive things depending on context, so I had to think carefully about which meaning the puzzle was going for.
The composers category was definitely the hardest for me. I recognized a couple of the names, but I had to really think about whether they were all from the same era or style of music.
Complete Answers and Explanations
Ready for the full breakdown? Here are all four categories:
🟡 Yellow: Music Genres
- EMO
- FUNK
- METAL
- POP
This category covers different musical styles. EMO is that emotional rock genre, FUNK brings the groove, METAL is heavy and loud, and POP is what dominates the charts.
🟢 Green: Not Be Good
- BITE
- BLOW
- STINK
- SUCK
These are all slang ways to say something is bad or unpleasant. “This movie bites,” “That test blew,” “Traffic stinks,” “This weather sucks” – you get the idea.
🔵 Blue: Do Exceptionally Well
- EAT
- ROCK
- RULE
- SLAY
When you’re absolutely killing it, you might use any of these words. “You totally ate that performance,” “She rocks at guitar,” “He rules at chess,” “They slayed that presentation.”
🟣 Purple: Contemporary Composers
- CAGE (John Cage)
- ENO (Brian Eno)
- GLASS (Philip Glass)
- REICH (Steve Reich)
These are all surnames of influential modern classical and experimental composers from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Why This Puzzle Was Tricky
Today’s Connections was particularly challenging because of the overlapping meanings. Words like BLOW and SUCK could theoretically fit in both the “not be good” and “do exceptionally well” categories depending on context.
The key was recognizing that BLOW and SUCK were being used in their negative slang meanings here, not their positive ones. In modern slang, “that blows” means something is bad, while “you blow me away” would be positive.
Similarly, ROCK could have been confusing – is it the music genre or the slang for being awesome? The puzzle went with the slang meaning, leaving METAL as part of the music category instead.
Category Difficulty Breakdown
Yellow (Music Genres): This was probably the easiest category once you spotted it. All four are clearly recognizable music styles.
Green (Not Be Good): Moderate difficulty. The slang usage might not be obvious to everyone, especially for words like BITE meaning “to be bad.”
Blue (Do Exceptionally Well): This one required knowing modern slang. “Slay” meaning “do great” might be tough for some solvers.
Purple (Contemporary Composers): Definitely the hardest category. You need to know these specific composers and recognize they’re all from the modern classical/experimental music world.
Tips for Future Connections
Today’s puzzle reminded me of some key strategies:
- Don’t get stuck on the first meaning of a word – think about slang and alternative definitions
- Music and arts categories often appear, so brush up on different genres and famous names
- Modern slang meanings are fair game, especially for describing performance quality
- When you’re unsure between two categories, look at the remaining words for context clues
Play Today’s Connections
Want to give Connections 811 a shot yourself? Head over to the official NYT Connections game and see how your grouping skills stack up!
More Daily Puzzles
Keep your puzzle streak going with these other daily challenges:
- Today’s NYT Strands 545 Answers (August 30, 2025)
- Today’s Quordle Answers (August 30, 2025)
- Today’s Wordle 1533 Hints and Answer (August 30, 2025)
Wrapping Up
Connections 811 delivered a nice mix of pop culture knowledge and wordplay. The music genres were straightforward, but those slang categories really made you think about different meanings and contexts.
The composers category was definitely the knowledge check of the day – if you’re not familiar with modern classical music, those names might have seemed completely random.
How did you do with today’s puzzle? Did the slang meanings throw you off, or did you nail all four categories on the first try? Tomorrow’s Connections 812 is just around the corner – let’s see what groupings await us!
