NYT Connections Today – Hints and Answers for Monday, December 9 (Game #547)
Good morning! Let’s play Connections, the NYT’s clever word game that challenges you to group answers into different categories. It can be tricky, so read on if you need pointers.
What should you do when you’re done? Of course, play some word games. I also have daily Strands Hints and Answers and Quordle Hints and Answers articles if you need help with those too, while Marc’s Wordle Today page covers the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about today’s NYT Connections is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
NYT Connections Today (Game #547) – Today’s Words
Today’s words from NYT Connections are…
- RAY
- FACTOR
- LIGHTER
- FLECK
- MICROSCOPE
- GAMES
- CONSIDERATION
- MAGNIFYING GLASS
- REFLECTION
- COMPETITIONS
- WEAR
- THOUGHT
- FLINT
- FILES
- STRICT SUPERVISION
- SPECIMEN
NYT Connections Today (Game #547) – Hint #1 – Group Hints
What are some pointers for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: Think about this
- VEGETABLES: It lights up
- BLUE: In the laboratory
- PURPLE: The truth is out there
Need more clues?
We’re firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four themed answers are for today’s NYT Connections puzzles…
NYT Connections Today (Game #547) – Hint #2 – Group Answers
What are the answers for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: CONSIDERATION
- GREEN: USED WHEN STARTING FIRE
- BLUE: USED TO VIEW A BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE
- PURPLE: WORDS AFTER “X”
Okay, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections Today (Game #547) – The Answers
The answers to today’s Connections game, game #547, are…
- YELLOW: CONSIDERATION CONSIDERATION, REFLECTION, RESEARCH, THOUGHT
- GREEN: USED WHEN STARTING FIRE FLINT, LIGHTER, MAGNIFYING GLASS, matches
- BLUE: USED TO VIEW A BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE MICROSCOPE, SLIDE, SPECIMEN, STAIN
- PURPLE: WORDS AFTER “X” FACTOR, FILES, GAMES, RAY
- My rating: Simple
- My score: Perfect
It’s almost time for the Christmas family quiz again, so here’s a quick 80s trivia question inspired by today’s Connections: How many people can you name who are mentioned in Billy Joel’s hit song? We didn’t light the fire?
I’ll leave that with you.
Before you look it up: Bonus self-satisfaction points if you get them in the right order.
USED TO START A FIRE was the first one that jumped off the grid, although at first I thought MAGNIFYING and MICROSCOPE belonged together.
Of the WORDS AFTER X, it was FILES that I saw first, before the more obvious RAY. Possibly because I’m still holding a candle (or should that be lighter) for Scully. Definitely the easiest Purple group we have seen in recent weeks. Deliberation didn’t require much either – well, not so much as trying to remember what rhymed Billy with Charles de Gaulle.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Sunday, December 8, game #546)
- YELLOW: PUNCH BELT, STROKE, SNAIL, SOCK
- GREEN: KRAM SANDWICH, SHOEHORN, Squeeze, Wedge
- BLUE: COMPANIES NAMED AFTER ANIMALS Caterpillar, pigeon, greyhound, puma
- PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF MUSIC GENRES INDY, METTLE, SEOUL, WRAP
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is one of the New York Times’ increasingly popular word games. It challenges you to find groups of four items that have something in common, and each group has a different level of difficulty: green is easy, yellow is slightly harder, blue is often quite hard, and purple is usually very hard.
On the plus side, you technically don’t have to solve the last question, because you can answer it by a process of elimination. Plus, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you some breathing room.
It’s a bit more complicated than something like Wordle, though, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For example, beware of homophones and other word games that can obscure the answers.
It is playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.