Connections Hints & Answers

How to use these hints

Each group has three levels of help. Show hint gives you a clue with no words named — enough to get unstuck. Still lost? Show category names the connection, and Show the four words confirms the group. Reveal one group at a time and you can finish with a nudge instead of the whole answer.

What is NYT Connections?

Connections is a daily word game from The New York Times. You're given 16 words and must sort them into four hidden groups of four, where each group shares a connection. It sounds simple, but words are deliberately placed to fit more than one group — the challenge is spotting the real link. You get four mistakes before the game ends.

What the four colors mean

• Yellow — Straightforward
• Green — Medium
• Blue — Tricky
• Purple — Trickiest

Purple is famous for wordplay: hidden words, homophones, or a word that completes a phrase. When a group won't click, it's often the trickiest color hiding in plain sight.

Tips to solve Connections

• Start with the group you're most sure of, but don't submit until you've found a home for all 16 words.
• Watch for overlap traps — a word that seems to fit yellow may really belong to purple.
• Look for wordplay: hidden words, homophones, or a shared word that finishes a phrase.
• Solve the other three groups first; the last four words sort themselves.