‘Connections’ December 19: Hints and answers to puzzle #557

On December 19, 2024By Littum

Connections is a daily word game published by New York Times that was launched in 2023.

In a short time it became a hit and was the second most played puzzle game after Wordle.

Below are instructions on how to play and clues to help you solve the game, but the answers appear at the end of the article, so scroll with caution.

How to play ‘Connections’

The categories vary in difficulty from yellow to green to blue to purple, with yellow considered the easiest category and purple the hardest.

For example, a recent game linked the words “Braid,” “Bun,” “Pony,” and “Twist” under the category: “Ways to Wear Your Hair Up.” This was a blue category.

Once you have selected four words, click the “send” button. If your selections match a category, they appear in the category color and disappear from the grid. If they are incorrect, however, they will remain gray and remain on the board.

If you get stuck, try selecting the “shuffle” button to move the words to another location on the grid.

“My best advice is to hold off on guessing as long as you can,” Wyna Liu, game editor at Timespreviously told Newsweek. “You might spot a clear category and think you see five words that fit, but don’t try to guess the four until you’re sure which one doesn’t belong. Jumping in too soon can cost you a trip.”