Good day! Let’s delve into Connections, the NYT’s entertaining word challenge that tests your ability to categorize answers. It can be quite challenging, so keep reading if you’re in need of some hints.
What’s next after you’ve completed the puzzle? Well, why not indulge in more word games? Additionally, there are daily Strands and Quordle hints and answers articles available if you require assistance with those puzzles. Marc’s Wordle today page also explores the original viral word game.
WARNING: Spoilers for NYT Connections today are included below, so proceed with caution if you wish to avoid the answers.
NYT Connections today (game #581) – today’s words
Today’s NYT Connections words include:
- COMETS
- INVENTION
- COIN TOSS
- DEFENDER
- COURT
- ASTEROIDS
- FAIRY TALE
- DRESS COAT
- FICTION
- ROMANCE
- SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
- CENTIPEDE
- CHARM
- FANTASY
- BREAKOUT
- PURSUE
NYT Connections today (game #581) – hint #1 – group hints
Here are some clues for the groups in today’s NYT Connections:
- YELLOW: All made up
- GREEN: Dating
- BLUE: Video classics
- PURPLE: Flipside
If you require additional hints, continue reading.
We’re diving into spoiler territory, but if you’re seeking the four theme answers for today’s NYT Connections puzzles, keep reading.
NYT Connections today (game #581) – hint #2 – group answers
Here are the answers for today’s NYT Connections groups:
- YELLOW: FABRICATION
- GREEN: WOO
- BLUE: CLASSIC ATARI GAMES
- PURPLE: THINGS FEATURING TAILS
The answers follow, so proceed with caution to avoid spoilers.
NYT Connections today (game #581) – the answers
The answers for today’s Connections, game #581, are:
- YELLOW: FABRICATION FAIRY TALE, FANTASY, FICTION, INVENTION
- GREEN: WOO CHARM, COURT, PURSUE, ROMANCE
- BLUE: CLASSIC ATARI GAMES ASTEROIDS, BREAKOUT, CENTIPEDE, DEFENDER
- PURPLE: THINGS FEATURING TAILS COIN TOSS, COMETS, DRESS COAT, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
- My rating: Hard
- My score: Fail
When I began today’s Connections, I was completely stumped and unable to discern any connections until I meticulously wrote down every word and realized – after a moment of pondering that we were looking at book genres – the elements that formed FABRICATION and WOO.
Unfortunately, Blue and Purple remained a challenge for me. Gaming is not my strong suit. Once I get into a game I tend to stick with it for years – Tetris, Sim City, Balatro – without playing anything else until a new game captures my attention, or in the case of a mobile party game called RSVP that I played daily, accidentally deleted, and discovered it was no longer available. I understand this might seem peculiar, but it has left me oblivious to everything else. Even if I was familiar with the video game history of the late 20th century, I likely would have mistakenly included SONIC THE HEDGEHOG as an Atari game (it’s actually Sega) instead of the THINGS FEATURING TAILS category.
After Googling “does Sonic The Hedgehog have a tail?” (I’m not the first to do this), I eventually learned that Tails is a character in the Sonic The Hedgehog realm – and indeed Sonic has a tail. Every day offers a new learning experience.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Saturday, 11 January, game #580)
- YELLOW: DISPLAY OF ROWS AND COLUMNS ARRAY, GRID, MATRIX, TABLE
- GREEN: THINGS TO DO AT A WORK EVENT CIRCULATE, CONVERSE, MINGLE, NETWORK
- BLUE: OLYMPIC EVENTS SINCE 2000 BREAKING, SURFING, TAEKWONDO, TRAMPOLINE
- PURPLE: -_COURT FOOD, KANGAROO, SUPREME, TENNIS
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games created by the New York Times. The game tasks players with finding groups of four items that share a commonality, with each group having varying difficulty levels: green being easy, yellow a bit harder, blue often challenging, and purple usually very tough.
On a positive note, you don’t necessarily need to solve the final puzzle, as you can deduce it through process of elimination. Additionally, players are permitted up to four mistakes, providing a bit of leeway.
Unlike simpler games like Wordle, NYT Connections is a bit more complex, offering potential pitfalls through clever tricks. Keep an eye out for homophones and other wordplay that may hide the answers.
The game is available for free on desktop or mobile through the NYT Games site.