NEW Connections Today Tips and Answers — Wednesday, December 25 (#563)

On December 25, 2024By Littum

Looking for clues to today’s Connections answers? The Connections Answers December 25 for puzzle #563 is a bit easier than yesterday’s puzzle, with Connections Companion rate this puzzle’s difficulty 2.5 out of 5.

Every day we’ll update this article with Connections hints and tips to help you find all 4 of today’s answers so you can keep your Connections streak going. And if the clues aren’t enough, you’ll find all four answers below with the category titles and associated words.

Plus, we’re including a reflection on yesterday’s puzzle, #562, if you’re reading this in a different time zone.

Spoilers ahead for Connections #563. Read on only if you want to know today’s Connections answer.

Alternatively, visit our guide on how to play NYT Connections for tips on how to solve the puzzle without our help.

Today’s Connections answer — tips to help you solve it

The connecting words

(Image credit: NYT)

Unlike our guide to today’s Wordle answers, where we recommend the best Wordle starter words as your strategy, solving Connections relies on identifying connection categories among 16 words. Each category’s difficulty level is represented by a color; yellow is the easiest grouping and purple is the most challenging. After you make 4 mistakes in your guesses, the answers will be revealed so hints can be helpful.

Today’s Connections words are: Queen, Star, Cupid, Strong, Rudolph, Sadgatarius, Nanny, Comet, Vixen, Moon, Robin Hood, Shannon, Hawkeye, Fey, Jenny, Planet

If you need tips on solving the groupings, here are the themes for each, based on difficulty:

Yellow: HEAVENLY OBJECTS
Green: Archer
Blue: FEMALE ANIMALS
Purple: “SNL” MEMBERS

These tips should at least help you find today’s Connections answer. If not, then read on for bigger clues; or, if you just want to know the answer, scroll further down.

Here’s a bigger tip: In outer space, things fly like an arrow. In the animal kingdom, things aren’t as funny as a sketch comedy show.

Today’s Connections answer

So what is today’s Connections answer to game #563?

Drumroll, please…

CELESTIAL OBJECTS: COMET, MOON, PLANET, STAR
Archer: Cupid, HAWKEYE, ROBIN HOODS, SAGITTARIUS
FEMALES: JENNY, NANNY, QUEEN, VIXEN
“SNL” CAST: FEY, RUDOLPH, SHANNON, STRONG

Today’s clues had a fun bait and switch that leads you to think it’s Santa’s reindeer. I quickly realized that these were indeed first category celestial bodies and were on their way.

I immediately saw the connection to bow and arrow characters and locked into the green category.

After that it was a bit moving, but I was lucky to put hunting together and through trial and error got the females with only one mistake left. From there I had four left and I have to admit I never would have gotten the last one without getting everything else first.

Yesterday’s Connections response

“Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!”: Bears, lions, oh, tigers
Dear, as friends: Close, dear, intimate, tight
Words that sound like plural letters: Bees, easy, Jays, use
When tripled, hit song titles: Bills, goodbye, give me, please

Are you reading this in a later time zone? Here are the Connections answers for game #562, which had a difficulty rating of 3.5 out of 5, according to Connections Companion.

Yesterday’s clue started with an absurdly easy reference to The Wizard of Oz. Most people will quickly figure this out before moving to other categories.

After I shuffled a few times, I noticed that close, close, and intimate were all about being close to another person. Dear was the only one left that had anything to do with physical proximity, so I went with it and was right.

After that, I failed a few times to connect, well, everything, and I ultimately ended our streak, failing the puzzle.