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 #559) – Today’s Words
Today’s words from NYT Connections are…
- BAND
- SLED
- NONSENSE
- PAN
- BUNK
- GRUGGING
- CIRCLE
- CANOPY
- KROK
- O
- FIGURINE
- POT
- RING
- MURPHY
- Frying pan
- HOOP
NYT Connections Today (Game #559) – Hint #1 – Group Hints
What are some pointers for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: Circumference
- VEGETABLES: 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 themed 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: TYPES OF BEDS
- PURPLE: THINGS CALLED ‘OSCAR’
Okay, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections Today (Game #559) – The Answers
The answers to today’s Connections game, game #559, are…
- YELLOW: LOOP BAND, CIRCLE, HOOP, RING
- GREEN: COOKING VESSELS Frying pan, Frying pan, PAN, POT
- BLUE: TYPES OF BEDS BUNK, AWNING, MURPHY, SLAY
- PURPLE: THINGS CALLED ‘OSCAR’ BALONEY, NUT, OH, FIGURINE
- My rating: Moderate
- My score: 1 mistake
Even though I only had eight words left, I still struggled today to find one of the two final groups of four.
I knew BUNK and CANOPY were beds, but couldn’t figure out what the other two might be, and made a mistake in guessing Oh, which I thought might be what you call those big round beds that people with huge houses and extensive collections of soft beds. might have toys. That’s not it. But I discovered that the American name for those ingenious beds that fold up against a wall is MURPHY.
Google ‘Murphy bed’ and you will discover that accidents, or the fear of an accident, is a major concern for owners and potential owners. It turns out their fears are unfounded – despite its slapstick reputation. A recent report examining 24 years of injuries found that there were no fatalities from Murphy beds. Ceiling fans, on the other hand, cause about 25 deaths per year in the US. Every day is a school day!
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Friday, December 20, game #558)
- YELLOW: CONSTRUCTION COCKTAIL, COMPOUND, MIXTURE, SOLUTION
- GREEN: TYPES OF SENTENCES COMMAND, EXCLAMATION, QUESTION, DECLARATION
- BLUE: TYPES OF BROS CRYPTO, FINANCE, PHARMA, TECH
- PURPLE: COMPLAINT HOMOPHONES GROWED, MOWED, WHALE, WINE
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 a little harder, blue is often quite tough, and purple is usually very difficult.
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.