NEW Connections Hints and Answers for December 26: Tips to solve ‘Connections’ #564.

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 compounds?

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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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: Used to estimate or give a rough idea

  • Green: Plants that are tall and woody

  • Blue: Something big or significant

  • Purple: Abbreviations of areas with different postcodes

Here are today’s Connections categories

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

  • Yellow: Approximately

  • Green: Trees

  • Blue: Greater, as an amount

  • Purple: Abbreviations in the United States, Per AP Style Guide

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!

Today’s solution Connections #564 is…

What is the answer to Connections today

  • Approximately: ABOUT, AROUND, AS, ROUGH

  • Trees: ELDER, PALM, PINE, FIR

  • Greater, as an amount: BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY, RESPECTABLE, TIDY

  • Abbreviations in the United States, Per AP Style Guide: ALA, ARK, MISS, ORE

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 will be back again to guide you with more useful tips.

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NEW Connections Sports Edition today: Tips and answers for December 26

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.