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 #551) - today's words
Today's NYT Connections words are…
- TRASH
- PHISH
- CRUSH
- TROLL
- BORE
- SPAM
- LINKS
- SQUIRT
- SPRITE
- TOWED
- GIANT
- DRAFTS
- PIXIE
- SENT
- STARRY
- DRAGON
NYT Connections today (game #551) - hint #1 - group hints
What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: Mythical beings
- GREEN: Message filing
- BLUE: Fruity fizz
- PURPLE: Beastly sounds
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 #551) - hint #2 - group answers
What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: FANTASY CREATURES
- GREEN: EMAIL FOLDERS
- BLUE: CITRUS SODAS
- PURPLE: ANIMAL HOMOPHONES
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections today (game #551) - the answers
The answers to today's Connections, game #551, are…
- YELLOW: FANTASY CREATURES DRAGON, GIANT, PIXIE, TROLL
- GREEN: EMAIL FOLDERS DRAFTS, SENT, SPAM, TRASH
- BLUE: CITRUS SODAS CRUSH, SPRITE, SQUIRT, STARRY
- PURPLE: ANIMAL HOMOPHONES BORE, LINKS, PHISH, TOWED
- My rating: Moderate
- My score: 2 mistakes
Being in the UK rather than the US can put you at a serious disadvantage when it comes to Connections.
Yellow and green were fairly straightforward today – although I did initially fall into the trap of wanting to put SPAM, TROLL and PHISH together in the same group. Blue and Purple baffled me, having no concept whatsoever of STARRY or SQUIRT sodas. Starry is a relative newcomer, but I was surprised to learn that Squirt has been around since 1938, a plucky grapefruit-flavored underdog that has survived the competition and carbonated innovation of big soda.
Over here we are still mourning the passing of Lilt, which has been rebranded as the far less exotic Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit. Although having said that, the history of Fanta (Nazi Germany’s wartime alternative to Coca-Cola) is a worthy Wikipedia rabbit hole.
Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, 12 December, game #550)
- YELLOW: THINGS THAT SOUND LIKE "T" TEA, TEE (GOLF), TEE (SHIRT), TI (MUSICAL NOTE)
- GREEN: OBJECTS WITH TEETH COMB, GEAR, SAW, ZIPPER
- BLUE: MILD OATHS FUDGE, GEEZ, NUTS, RATS
- PURPLE: PARTS OF A RIVER BANK, BED, DELTA, MOUTH
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.
