NYT Connections answer: NYT Connections 21 December Answers and tips for today’s challenge

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

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

Here’s everything you need to know, from gameplay tips to tips and tricks, to help you master today’s NYT connections.

NEW connections

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

Like Wordle, this game is available on the NYT website and the Games 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 earned widespread praise for its ability to engage players of all skill levels.

How to play NYT Connections

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

Each group contains four words united by a common theme, such as shapes, kitchen utensils or famous names.

The challenge of the game lies in identifying the correct connections, as some words can deceptively appear to fit into multiple categories.

Each group is color coded:

• Yellow: Often the easiest to solve, with straightforward connections.
• Green and Blue: Moderately challenging, requiring deeper analysis.
• Purple: The hardest, often involving puns or obscure associations.

Players must make four wrong guesses before the game ends. But with careful thought and strategy, victory is within reach.

Tips for December 21 puzzle

Today’s Connections puzzle offers a fresh 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: Bed types.
• Purple group: Things associated with the name “Oscar.”

Today’s connections answer

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

• Yellow group – Circular shapes: BAND, CIRCLE, HOOP, RING.
• Green group – Cookware: CASSEROLE, CROCK, PAN, POT.
• Blue group – Bed types: 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 reveal hidden connections.
2. Focus on easy groups first: Identify straightforward associations, like colors or shapes, to narrow down the possibilities.
3. Watch out for Red Herrings: Some words may seem to fit into several groups, but belong to only one.

Frequently asked questions

How to play NYT Connections for free?

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

How to play Connections for Beginners?

Alternatively, open the game in the NYT Games app and tap Game. Choose four words that share a common connection, then click Submit. If your choice is correct, the words will form a group so you can progress in the game.