Good day! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers into various categories. It can be difficult, so read on if you need clues.
What should you do once you're done? Well, play more word games, of course. I also have daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle's current page covers the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Connections Today (Game #549): Today's Words
Today's words from NYT Connections are…
- HAIR SPRAY
- ROSEBUD
- POKEMON
- PRIMATE
- XANADU
- JAZZERCISE
- KETCHUM
- SNOW GLOBE
- PARALYMPICS
- PAYPAL
- PARADISE
- WIKIPEDIA
- SEVENTH HEAVEN
- SALAD
- BANDAGE
- MAGIC 8 BALL
- SHANGRI-LA
NYT Connections Today (Game #549) – Clue #1 – Group Hints
What are some leads for current NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: Dreamland
- GREEN: …rattle and roll
- BLUE: two become one
- PURPLE: They will be there for you
Do you need more clues?
We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the answers are to the four topics for today's NYT Connections riddles…
NYT Connections Today (Game #549) – Clue #2 – Group Answers
What are the answers for current NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: UTOPIA
- GREEN: THINGS THAT SHAKE
- BLUE: OWN NAME PORTMANTEAUX
- PURPLE: ENDING IN SYNONYMS OF “FRIEND”
Well, the answers are below, so DON'T SCROLL FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections Today (Game #549): The Answers
The answers to today's Connections game #549 are…
- YELLOW: UTOPIA PARADISE, SEVENTH HEAVEN, SHANGRI-LA, XANADU
- GREEN: THINGS THAT SHAKE HAIR SPRAY, MAGIC 8 BALL, SALAD DRESSING, SNOW GLOBE
- BLUE: OWN NAME PORTMANTEAUX JAZZERCISE, PARALYMPICS, POKÉMON, WIKIPEDIA
- PURPLE: ENDING IN SYNONYMS OF “FRIEND” KETCHUM, PAYPAL, PRIMATE, ROSEBUD
- My rating: Hard
- My score: Fail
I had no idea what KETCHUM was. My first thought was that it was a combination of Ketchup and erm Chum. This would link it with PARALYMPICS and JAZZERCISE.
After I struck out, I discovered that KETCHUM was many things: a grenade-like weapon, a POKÉMON character, a town in Idaho, a brand of cattle tags, the last name of the doctor who experimented on soldiers with LSD in the '60s. ..I could write a book about KETCHUM. This flirtation led me to ignore the much more obvious words WIKIPEDIA and POKÉMON in the OWN NAME PORTMANTEAUX. And that, my KETCHUM Connections were the end of me.
The only group I got today was the easy yellow UTOPIA group. You could say I'm a dreamer, but today was my Connections nightmare.
Answers from yesterday's NYT Connections (Tuesday, December 10, Game #548)
- YELLOW: GIVE A TITLE TO CALL, FOLD, LABEL, NAME
- GREEN: PARTS OF A FLIGHT CRUISE, TAKEOFF, TAXI, LANDING
- BLUE: FEEL AROUND (STOP) FISH, FUMBLE, ROOT, RUMMAGE
- PURPLE: COUNTRIES EXCEPT THE FIRST LETTER INTERIOR, OLIVIA, RAN, WANDA
What are NYT connections?
NYT Connections is one of the increasingly popular word games created by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four elements that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow is a little harder, blue is usually quite difficult, and purple is usually very difficult.
On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final question since you'll be able to answer it through a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little breathing room.
However, it's a little more complicated than something like Wordle and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For example, be careful with homophones and other puns that could disguise answers.
It can be played for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile devices.
