The New York Times Games Team released the latest Connections puzzle on December 11, 2024. The puzzle has a difficulty rating of 1 out of 5, as determined by a panel of testers who solve each puzzle in advance. In Connections, players are presented with a grid of 16 words and must arrange them into four groups of four by figuring out the links between them.
The groups are color-coded, with yellow being the easiest and purple being the most difficult. Today’s 16 words are: PARADISE, SEVENTH HEAVEN, SALAD DRESSING, MAGIC 8 BALL, JAZZERCISE, WIKIPEDIA, HAIRSPRAY, SNOWGLOBE, PARALYMPICS, POKÉMON, KETCHUM, PAYPAL, PRIMATE, ROSEBUD, XANADU, and SHANGRI-LA.
Connections puzzle groups and hints
The hints for today’s Connections groups are:
– Yellow group: nirvana, Eden, wonderland
– Green group: do with these as Taylor Swift does with players and haters (who gonna play, play, play and hate, hate, hate)
– Blue group: smushed together
– Purple group: ending in synonyms for “friend”
The Connections groups are:
– Yellow group: utopia
– Green group: things you shake
– Blue group: proper noun portmanteaux
– Purple group: ending in synonyms for “friend”
The Connections answers are:
– Yellow group (utopia): PARADISE, SEVENTH HEAVEN, SHANGRI-LA, XANADU
– Green group (things you shake): HAIRSPRAY, MAGIC 8 BALL, SALAD DRESSING, SNOWGLOBE
– Blue group (proper noun portmanteaux): JAZZERCISE, PARALYMPICS, POKÉMON, WIKIPEDIA
– Purple group (ending in synonyms for “friend”): KETCHUM, PAYPAL, PRIMATE, ROSEBUD
Contributor Kris Holt, who covers video games and word games, found the puzzle challenging. They were able to solve the yellow group quickly but struggled with the others. The green group should have been easier to figure out, while the blue group felt mean to have two wordplay groups in the same game.
Holt’s streak ended after 13 wins due to the difficulty of the puzzle. They encourage players to check for hints and the solution for Thursday’s game if needed.
Noah Nguyen is a multi-talented developer who brings a unique perspective to his craft. Initially a creative writing professor, he turned to Dev work for the ability to work remotely. He now lives in Seattle, spending time hiking and drinking craft beer with his fiancee.
