The New York Times’ daily word game, Connections, continues to captivate puzzle enthusiasts around the world with its unique blend of logic, vocabulary, and word games.

As we approach the Christmas season, today’s puzzle for December 21st offers another exciting challenge for players.

Here’s everything you need to know, from gameplay tips to tips and solutions, to help you ace today’s NYT Connections.

NYT Connections

Connections was featured by The New York Times and designed by Associate Puzzle Editor Wyna Liu. It is a daily word puzzle that has quickly become a favorite among word game enthusiasts.

Similar to Wordle, this game is accessible on the NYT website and game app and offers a new challenge every day.

The goal? To sort a grid of 16 words into four groups of four based on hidden connections. With its intuitive gameplay and color-coded feedback system, Connections has received high praise for its ability to engage players of all skill levels.

How to play NYT Connections

To succeed at Connections, players must analyze a grid of 16 seemingly unrelated words and classify them into four different categories.

Each group contains four words linked by a common theme, e.g. E.g. shapes, kitchen appliances or famous names.

The challenge of the game is to recognize the correct connections, as some words incorrectly fit into multiple categories.

Each group is color coded:

• Yellow: Often the easiest to solve and equipped with uncomplicated connections.
• Green and blue: Moderately challenging, requires deeper analysis.
• Purple: The most difficult ones often involve puns or obscure associations.

Players are allowed four incorrect guesses before the game ends. However, with careful consideration and strategy, victory is within reach.

Clues for the December 21 puzzle

Today’s connection puzzle offers a new challenge with these tips:

• Yellow group: Circular shapes (like a tire or the loop of a roller coaster).
• Green group: Kitchen utensils and vessels.
• Blue group: Types of beds.
• Purple group: Things associated with the name “Oscar”.

Today’s connection answers

If you’re ready for spoilers, here are the solutions to today’s puzzle, as mentioned in a report by Forbes:

• Yellow group – Circular shapes: BAND, CIRCLE, HOOP, RING.
• Green group – Cooking vessels: casserole, pot, pan, pot.
• Blue group – Types of beds: BUNK, CANOPY, MURPHY, SLEIGH.
• Purple group – Things associated with “Oscar”: BALONEY, GROUCH, O, STATUETTE.

Tips to improve your gameplay

1. Mix the words: Rearranging the grid can help uncover hidden connections.
2. First, focus on simple groups: Identify simple relationships like colors or shapes to narrow down the possibilities.
3. Watch out for red herrings: Some words seem to fit into multiple groups, but only belong to one.

FAQs

How do I play NYT Connections for free?

You can enjoy NYT Connections via the Games app, at nytimes.com/games/connections, or via the Play tab in the New York Times News app.

How to play Connections for beginners?

Alternatively, you can open the game in the NYT Games app and tap Play. Select four words that have a common connection, then click Submit. If your selection is correct, the words will form a group, allowing you to progress through the game.