NEW Connections Today — My Tips and Answers for Sunday, December 22nd (Game #560)

On December 22, 2024By Littum

Good morning! Let’s play Connections, the NYT’s clever word game that challenges you to group answers into different categories. It can be difficult, so read on if you need clues.

What are you going to do when you’re done? Why, play some more puns of course. I also have daily Strands Hints and Answers and Quordle Hints and Answers articles if you need help with those too, while Marc’s Wordle Today page covers the original viral pun.

SPOILER ALERT: Today’s NYT Connections information is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.

NEW Connections today (game #560) – word of the day

NEW Connections hint for game 560 on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today’s NEW Connections word is…

STATISTICS
CROWN
ABBOTT
ELEMENTARY
NUN
KEY
DOME
ABBA
LAUREL
MONK
COCONUT
ROAST
SKULL
TUBERS
KAYAK
KOJAK

NEW Connections today (game #560) – tip #1 – group tip

What are some clues for today’s NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: Body part lingo
GREEN: Back and forth
BLUE: Keeping an eye on the detectives
PURPLE: The other half

Need more clues?

We’re firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today’s NYT Connections puzzles…

NEW Connections today (game #560) – tip #2 – group answer

What are the answers for today’s NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: HOSE TO HEAD
GREEN: PALINDROMES
BLUE: POLICE PROCEDURES
PURPLE: FIRST IN A COMEDY DUO

Okay, the answers are below, so DON’T SCROLL IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NEW Connections today (game #560) – the answers

NYT Connections answers for game 560 on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today’s Connections, game #560, are…

YELLOW: HOSE TO HEAD COCONUT, CROWN, DOME, KANSIE
GREEN: PALINDROMES ABBA, KAYAK, NUN, STATS
BLUE: POLICE PROCEDURES BONES, ELEMENTARY, KOJAK, MONK
PURPLE: FIRST IN A COMEDY DUO ABBOTT, FRY, KEY, LAUREL

My rating: Moderate
My score: 1 error

Had today’s Connections included the words Noggin, Nut, Helmet or Bonce, I might not have struggled so much to see SLANG FOR HEAD. Instead, it was PALINDROMES that hit me first – although that was mainly because I couldn’t see how Swedish pop legends ABBA could be connected to anything else, unless there was an obscure 1970s Eurovision act called KOJAK, which is entirely possible .

According to Wikipedia, the longest palindrome in regular use is the 19-letter Finnish word saippaukivikauppias (flake seller).

Wikipedia also directs us to some palindrome phrases, including “A man, a plan, a canal, Panama”, to which I’m sure you can add “a KAYAK” (or a saippuakivikauppias) and the eternal question “Seeing geese god?”

Yesterday’s NEW Connections Answers (Saturday, December 21, Game #559)

YELLOW: LOOP RIBBON, CIRCLE, RING
GREEN: COOKING VESSEL CASSEROLE, CROCK, PAN, POT
BLUE: KIND OF BEDS COOKIE, SLEEVE, MURPHY, SLEDGE
PURPLE: THING CALLED “OSCAR” BALONEY, GROUCH, O, STATUETTE

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games created by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four elements that share something in common, and each group has a different degree of difficulty: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough, and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you technically don’t need to solve the last one, as you’ll be able to answer it by a process of elimination. Also, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It’s a bit more involved than something like Wordle, though, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to let you beat yourself up with tricks. For example, watch out for homophones and other puns that can hide the answers.

It can be played for free via NYT Games website on desktop or mobile.