If you’re on the hunt for the Connections solution for Saturday, January 18, 2025, you’re in the right place! This article will provide you with helpful hints, strategic tips, and ultimately, the solutions divided into their respective categories. Additionally, any complex terms will be clarified for better understanding, showcasing how the pieces interconnect. Warning: Spoilers for NYT Connections #587 are included below! Continue reading for hints and the final answers of today’s game.

For a convenient way to revisit our daily Connections hints, bookmark this page. Here, you’ll also find previous hints if you’re curious about past puzzles.

Next, you’ll find subtle suggestions for today’s Connections answers. Further down the page, the themes and final answers will be revealed, so scroll cautiously and only grab the hints you really need!

Credit: Connections/NYT

Hints for Today’s Connections Themes

Here are some hints without spoilers regarding today’s groupings in Connections:

• Yellow category – A feeling of desire or longing.

• Green category – Ouch, something sharp has pricked me! Could you hand me the tweezers?

• Blue category – Metadata from an audio streaming service, perhaps.

• Purple category – All items can be paired with a commonly used action verb.

IMPORTANT: Spoilers Ahead for Today’s Connections!

Answers are about to be disclosed. If you wish to avoid any spoilers, proceed with caution as you scroll (full solution is located a bit further down).

Tricky Elements to Note

While SPINE and PAGE may conjure images of a book, remember SPINE can also denote something that protrudes from a porcupine.

LABEL is a term associated with brands, with examples such as Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment.

TABLES is tied to a common phrase: “oh, how the TABLES have ___.”

Categories for Today’s Connections

• Yellow: DESIRE

• Green: BARB

• Blue: RECORD INFO

• Purple: TURN THE ___

DOUBLE WARNING: THE SOLUTION IS BELOW

Ready to uncover the answers for today’s Connections? Keep reading to find all the details.

Yellow Words in Today’s Connections

The yellow category is typically the most straightforward, centering around DESIRE. The associated words are: DRIVE, IMPULSE, ITCH, URGE.

Green Words in Today’s Connections

The green grouping is meant to be the second easiest. Here, BARB forms the theme with words: SPINE, SPUR, STICKER, THORN.

Blue Words in Today’s Connections

This blue category is a bit more challenging, themed around RECORD INFO comprising: ALBUM, ARTIST, LABEL, TRACK.

Purple Words in Today’s Connections

The hardest category, purple, revolves around TURN THE ___, featuring: CORNER, PAGE, TABLES, TIDE.

Solving Today’s Connections

While initially considering the link between URGE and SPUR, a more fitting combination consists of URGE, ITCH, DRIVE, and IMPULSE, all linked by the sensation of compulsion. 🟨

SPINE, STICKER, SPUR, and THORN resonate as pointed items which might embed in one’s skin. 🟩

With regard to the music business, ARTIST, LABEL, TRACK, and ALBUM are integral components. 🟦 The associations are relatively clear today!

Lastly, PAGE, CORNER, TABLES, and TIDE are used in familiar expressions involving turning: turn the PAGE, turn the CORNER, etc. 🟪

Connections
Puzzle #587
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪

Playing Connections: A Brief Overview

A complete guide on playing Connections exists, but here’s a quick refresher on the gameplay:

First, access the Connections game via the New York Times website or their Games app. You’ll notice a board made up of 16 tiles, each displaying a word or phrase. Your objective is to identify four tiles that share a common link, typically all belonging to the same category (e.g., RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, and SNOW are all forms of precipitation) or through clever wordplay (e.g., BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH point to an assortment of lists: bucket list, guest list, aforementioned).

Select four tiles and click the Submit button. If successful, the category and color will display. (Yellow is the easiest, progressing through green, blue, to purple as more difficult). Incorrect guesses allow for a retry.

Victory is achieved when all four groups are correctly identified. If four errors occur before completion, the game concludes, revealing the answers.

Winning Strategies for Connections

To excel in Connections, one must recognize that the associations can be deceptively challenging. Overlapping groups are commonplace. For instance, a past puzzle included six breakfast items: BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. However, BACON aligned more with a group of artists along with CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, while EGG was categorized with others that come by dozens (like JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). Therefore, always ensure that your selected group of four strictly contains those four items before submitting.

If you find yourself at an impasse, consider examining the words that stand out as having no apparent connection to the others. For example, if WHISTLER only brings to mind the well-known painting “Whistler’s Mother,” that could be a clue. During one of these puzzles, research about an artist named Close became key as Close wasn’t easily tied to any immediate themes.

Reading additional hints can also be beneficial when stuck, which is why these tips are shared daily. Be sure to check in tomorrow for the next puzzle!