NYT Connections Today – My Hints and Answers for Wednesday, December 11 (Game #549)
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 #549) – Today’s Words
Today’s words from NYT Connections are…
- HAIR SPRAY
- ROSEBUD
- POKÉMON
- PRIMATE
- XANADU
- JAZZERCISE
- KETCHUM
- SNOW GLOBE
- PARALYMPIC GAMES
- PAYPAL
- PARADISE
- WIKIPEDIA
- SEVENTH HEAVEN
- SALAD
- DRESSING
- MAGIC 8 BALL
- SHANRI-LA
NYT Connections Today (Game #549) – Hint #1 – Group Hints
What are some pointers for current NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: Dreamland
- VEGETABLES: … rattle and roll
- BLUE: Two become one
- PURPLE: They will be there for you
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 #549) – Hint #2 – Group Answers
What are the answers for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: UTOPIA
- GREEN: THINGS YOU SHAKE
- BLUE: PROPERTY PORTMANTEAUX
- PURPLE: ENDS IN SYNONYMS FOR “FRIEND”
Okay, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections Today (Game #549) – The Answers
The answers to today’s Connections game, game #549, are…
- YELLOW: UTOPIA PARADISE, SEVENTH HEAVEN, SHANGRI-LA, XANADU
- GREEN: THINGS YOU SHAKE HAIR SPRAY, MAGIC 8 BALL, SALAD DRESSING, SNOW GLOBE
- BLUE: OWNERSHIP PORTMANTEAUX JAZZERCISE, PARALYMPICS, POKÉMON, WIKIPEDIA
- PURPLE: ENDS IN SYNONYMS FOR “FRIEND” KETCHUM, PAYPAL, PRIMATE, ROSEBUD
- My rating: Difficult
- My score: Failure
I had no idea what KETCHUM was. My first thought was that it was a portmanteau of Ketchup and eh Chum? This would link it to PARALYMPICS and JAZZERCISE
After noticing, I discovered that KETCHUM was many things: a grenade-like weapon, a POKÉMON character, a town in Idaho, a brand of drug labels, the last name of the doctor who experimented on soldiers with LSD in the 1960s… could write a book about KETCHUM. This flirtation led me to ignore the much more obvious PROPERTY PORTMANTEAUX words WIKIPEDIA and POKÉMON. And that, my Connections KETCHUMs was the end of me.
The only group I landed today was the easy yellow UTOPIA group. You could say I’m a dreamer, but today was my Connections nightmare.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, December 10, game #548)
- YELLOW: INDICATE A TITLE CALL, DUB, LABEL, NAME
- GREEN: PART OF A FLIGHT CRUISE, TAKE-OFF, TAXI, TOUCHDOWN
- BLUE: FEEL AROUND (FRONT) FISH, FUMBLE, CARROT, RUMMING
- PURPLE: COUNTRIES MINUS FIRST LETTER INTERIOR, OLIVIA, RAN, WANDA
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.