Getting a lead on today’s Connections puzzle might seem quite difficult, and the words can all seem very disconnected in some of the categories today. This can make the puzzle harder and can cause a lot of frustration as well when you think you are close to an answer only to see you are not even “one away.” To get you closer to the finish line, we have all the hints and tricks you need to see the bigger picture.
Once you have figured out today’s puzzle, you might still be in the mood for a little bit more. If you are, you should check out the NYT’s Mini Crossword puzzle, which is not too small, not too big, but just right. When you attempt it for yourself, you will see what I mean and can enjoy playing it daily just like you do for this puzzle. Crossword puzzles may not be for everyone, but if you like this one, you should find that one just as fun as well.
Today’s Connections Category Hints
DECEMBER 04 #542
Getting the right hints for today’s puzzle is fairly important, as you will want to know what the general ideas are without getting a full spoiler. It is always difficult to come up with just the right clue, but it is important to help you get to the end of the puzzle without spoilers if you don’t want them. Today there are a lot of things going on, with one fairly easy category and three that are not.
- One category is about words that are all verbs that usher in something
- One category is about a group of things that all share something particular in common about how they are made
- One category is about names that come from a particular time and place in the world
- One category is about words that all have a structure related to a room in your house
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Strands is one of New York Times’ many puzzle games that consists of a unique 6×8 word search that requires players to use zig-zag solutions.
If you are still stuck on the puzzle and desire more guidance, there are plenty more spoilers down below. I always give you just the category names first, before proceeding into the answers for each one.
 |
STEER |
 |
THINGS WITH NEEDLE/S |
 |
FIGURES IN GREEK MYTH |
 |
STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR LAVATORY |
Today’s Connections Answers
DECEMBER 04 #542
Yellow Answers: Revealed & Explained
STEER |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
DIRECT |
GUIDE |
LEAD |
SHEPHERD |
This was the easy one today, as all of these words have very similar meanings and they stood out among the crowd of nouns that were all somehow related to each other. SHEPHERD was probably the hardest one to pick out for that very reason, as it is more commonly a noun than a verb. However, that did not take me too long. What took longer was the remaining three categories that all felt odd to me when I first started examining them.
Green Answers: Revealed & Explained
THINGS WITH NEEDLE/S |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
COMPASS |
PINE TREE |
SEWING KIT |
TURNTABLE |
I started off with something of the right idea for this one, as I had COMPASS and TURNTABLE paired off quite early on. However, at the time I thought it was merely circular objects, and I had them with PAN and LOOFAH for a little while. Switching out one of those words would do me no good, so I dismissed the category a little too quickly. Getting there is half the battle in any puzzle, so it is unfortunate I had a close, but not close enough, guess.
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Blue Answers: Revealed & Explained
|
FIGURES IN GREEK MYTH |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
ATLAS |
ECHO |
HELEN |
PAN |
This is a category of knowledge that I know extremely well and the puzzle still managed to trick me for some time with it. This is mainly because when COMPASS and TURNTABLE didn’t seem to work out, I started looking at the map-related words like ATLAS. It was still missing a few words, and I had already put GUIDE away successfully. I had put the words that looked like names all in one category in my head as well, so it was really a matter of me tricking myself more than anything.
Purple Answers: Revealed & Explained
STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR LAVATORY |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
CANDLE |
JOHNSON |
LOOFAH |
TOILETRIES |
This kind of category – not sports-related ones surprisingly – is one of the hardest ones for me to solve even now after playing every single game for quite some time. I even look at the structure of the word more now, and things like this still just pass right on by. Perhaps it’s because I don’t use all of these synonyms that often, but it was still a little frustrating to see what the category was once the puzzle was over. Hopefully, you do not have to experience that situation.
Other Games Like Connections
Try out Worldle for another fun bit of exciting gameplay.
|
me Name |
How To Play |
Is It Free To Play? |
|---|---|---|
|
Wordle (NYT) |
Solve a random five-letter word by using color clues. Every Wordle answer can be found in our daily updated list. |
Yes |
|
Worldle |
Name a country based only on its silhouette, and a few geographical hints. |
Yes |
|
The Password Game |
Create a password in this ever-changing, not-so-simple game. You can find some helpful tips in our Password Game guide. |
Yes |
|
Absurdle |
Try to solve a game of Wordle without any help. With each guess, the game reveals as little information as possible, even changing the word if need be. |
Yes |
- Released
- June 12, 2023
- Developer(s)
- The New York Times Company
- Publisher(s)
- The New York Times Company
- ESRB
- e
- Platform(s)
- Web Browser , Mobile
