NEW Connections tips and answers for December 25: Tips for solving ‘Connections’ #563.

Connections is one of the most popular New York Times pun it has caught the attention of the public. The game is about finding the “common threads between words.” And like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets harder and harder – so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to know today’s puzzle, you can skip to the end of this article for today’s puzzle Connections solution. But if you’d rather tackle it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to help you out.

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What are connections?

The NEW‘s latest daily pun has become a hit on social media. The Times credit associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu for helping to create the new word game and bring it to the publication’s games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and requires players to group four words that share something in common.

Each puzzle contains 16 words and each group of words is divided into four categories. These sets can consist of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Although several words seem to fit together, there is only one correct answer.

Mashable game

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Get it wrong and it counts as a mistake – players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make it easier to find connections. Additionally, each group is color-coded, with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

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NYT’s The Mini Crossword Answers for December 25

Here’s a tip for today’s Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? So try these:

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  • Yellow: Space objects

  • Green: Iconic bow and arrow users

  • Blue: Animals of the opposite sex

  • Purple: Icons of late night sketch comedy

Here are today’s Connections categories

Do you need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:

Looking for Wordle today? Here is the answer to today’s Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to come back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drum roll, please!

The solution to today’s Connections #563 is…

What is the answer to Connections today

  • Heavenly objects: COMET, MOON, PLANET, STAR

  • Archer: CUPID, HAWKEYE, ROBIN HOOD, SAGITTARIUS

  • Female animal: JENNY, NANNY, QUEEN, VIXEN

  • SNL cast members: FEY, RUDOLPH, SHANNON, STRONG

Don’t feel down if you didn’t get it right this time. New ones are coming Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow and we’ll be back again to guide you with more useful tips.

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NEW Connections Sports Edition today: Tips and answers for December 25

Do you also play NYT Strands? See tips and answers for today’s Strands.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable has games now! Check out our game hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords and more.

Not the day you’re looking for? Here is the solution to yesterday’s connections.