Connectionsa daily pun by The New York Timeshas become a popular pastime for puzzle enthusiasts. Each day, players are presented with a grid of 16 words and are tasked with grouping them into four sentences based on common connections.

The challenge is identifying these connections, which can range from simple associations to clever puns. The game is available for free on the NYT website and game app and is updated daily with a new puzzle at midnight.

Players must analyze the grid carefully as some words may belong to multiple groups. The color-coded categories – yellow, green, blue and purple – indicate varying levels of difficulty, with purple often presenting the most difficult challenge.

Every wrong guess costs a life and four mistakes end the game. However, there are hints and solutions to ensure players don’t reach a dead end.

Clues for the December 7 puzzle

Today Connections Puzzle (#545) offers a fascinating mix of words. The notes for the groups, as mentioned in a report by Forbes, are as follows:

• Yellow group: Words related to “thinking together”.
• Green group: Tools for water hunting, especially fishing.
• Blue group: WNBA team names.
• Purple group: Words that match “long.”

Today’s 16 words are: SUN, FLY, HORN, WINGS, ASSOCIATE, LEGS, FELLOW, BOW, STORM, CHUM, RELATE, LIBERTY, BAIT, EQUATE, LURE and AFFILIATE.

Answers to today’s puzzle

Spoiler alert! If you are still solving, stop here. Below are the answers to the December 7 puzzle:

• Yellow group (thinking together): CONNECTED, ASSOCIATE, EQUALIZE, CONNECT
• Green group (fishing tackle): Bait, chum, flies, lures
• Blue Group (WNBA teams): FREEDOM, STORM, SUN, WINGS
• Purple group (Long____): BOW, FELLOW, HORN, LEGS

These connections highlight the clever wordplay and the thematic diversity that define it Connections so captivating.

Why hookups have gained popularity

The appeal of Connections lies in the balance between logic and creativity. Each puzzle challenges players to think critically and outside the box, often leading to a satisfying “Aha!” moments.

Sharing results on social media or discussing strategies with friends adds a social aspect and further increases the appeal of the game.

For dedicated fans, the NYT Games subscription provides access to an extensive archive of previous puzzles and offers endless opportunities to test your skills.

FAQs

Is NYT Connections more popular than Wordle?

Accordingly The New York TimesIn 2023, an impressive 4.8 billion Wordle games, 2.3 billion Connections games, and a total of 8 billion puzzle and gaming games were played on the platforms. These games impress with their perfect mix of fun and challenge.

How do you score in a NYT connection game?

Each color in the game is assigned a point value based on difficulty: purple, the most challenging, is worth 4 points; Blue gets 3 points; Green is given 2 points; and yellow, the easiest, is worth 1 point. If a line results in a strikeout, no points are awarded. The total score for a line is calculated by multiplying the color’s point value by the line’s multiplier.