Good morning! Let’s play Connections, the NYT’s clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.
What should you do once you’ve finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I’ve also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc’s Wordle today 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 #559) – today’s words
Today’s NYT Connections words are…
- BAND
- SLEIGH
- BALONEY
- PAN
- BUNK
- GROUCH
- CIRCLE
- CANOPY
- CROCK
- O
- STATUETTE
- POT
- RING
- MURPHY
- CASSEROLE
- HOOP
NYT Connections today (game #559) – hint #1 – group hints
What are some clues for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: Circumference
- GREEN: Bake off
- BLUE: Sleepy?
- PURPLE: What Academy and Wilde have in common
Need more clues?
We’re firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today’s NYT Connections puzzles…
NYT Connections today (game #559) – hint #2 – group answers
What are the answers for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: LOOP
- GREEN: COOKING VESSELS
- BLUE: KINDS OF BEDS
- PURPLE: THINGS CALLED “OSCAR”
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections today (game #559) – the answers
The answers to today’s Connections, game #559, are…
- YELLOW: LOOP BAND, CIRCLE, HOOP, RING
- GREEN: COOKING VESSELS CASSEROLE, CROCK, PAN, POT
- BLUE: KINDS OF BEDS BUNK, CANOPY, MURPHY, SLEIGH
- PURPLE: THINGS CALLED “OSCAR” BALONEY, GROUCH, O, STATUETTE
- My rating: Moderate
- My score: 1 mistake
Even though I only had eight words left I still struggled to find one of the two final groups of four today.
I knew BUNK and CANOPY were beds, but couldn’t think of what the other two could be, and used a mistake guessing O, which I thought could be what you call those big circular beds that people with huge houses and extensive collections of soft toys might have. It’s not. But I discovered that the American name for those ingenious beds that fold up against a wall is MURPHY.
Google “Murphy bed” and you’ll discover that accidents, or fear of an accident, are a major concern for owners and prospective owners. It turns out their fears are unfounded – despite its slapstick reputation. A recent report studying 24 years of injuries found that zero fatalities were caused by Murphy Beds. Ceiling fans, on the other hand, cause approximately 25 deaths per year in the US. Every day’s a school day!
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Friday, 20 December, game #558)
- YELLOW: CONCOCTION COCKTAIL, COMPOUND, MIXTURE, SOLUTION
- GREEN: TYPES OF SENTENCES COMMAND, EXCLAMATION, QUESTION, STATEMENT
- BLUE: KINDS OF BROS CRYPTO, FINANCE, PHARMA, TECH
- PURPLE: COMPLAINT HOMOPHONES GROWN,MOWN, WHALE, WINE
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.
On the plus side, you don’t technically need to solve the final one, as you’ll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What’s more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.
It’s a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.
It’s playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.