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Below are some indirect hints about today’s Connections answers. Keep scrolling to uncover the themes and their respective answers. Take your time and only pick the hints you need!

Credit: Connections/NYT

Themes Hints for Today’s Connections Puzzle

Here are some spoiler-free clues for the categories featured in today’s Connections:

• Yellow category: These items provide volume, sheen, and hold.

• Green category: Lacking extravagant details.

• Blue category: Evidence left behind that guides detectives to the perpetrator.

• Purple category: Lacking strength or energy.

WARNING: Potential Spoilers Ahead for Today’s Connections Puzzle!

The answers are about to be disclosed—proceed with caution if you would like to avoid spoilers. (The complete solution is presented further down.)

Navigating the Challenging Aspects

When considering SPARE, note that it doesn’t imply having an extra; instead, it signifies a lack of adornment.

EXHAUST refers not to the emissions of a vehicle, but to the state of being drained of energy (often seen with an “ed” suffix).

A forensic investigator may examine a TIRE MARK to deduce the type of vehicle involved.

Today’s Categories in Connections

• Yellow: HAIR PRODUCTS

• Green: AUSTERE

• Blue: EVIDENCE IN A CRIME SCENE

• Purple: WEARY

DOUBLE WARNING: THE SOLUTION IS BELOW

Ready to uncover the answers for today’s Connections puzzle? The information is provided below.

Yellow Words in Today’s Connections

The yellow category is the most straightforward. The central theme for this group is HAIR PRODUCTS, consisting of: GEL, MOUSSE, SPRAY, WAX.

Green Words in Today’s Connections

The green grouping is typically the second simplest. The theme here revolves around AUSTERE, featuring the words: BARE, PLAIN, SIMPLE, SPARE.

Blue Words in Today’s Connections

The blue category is relatively challenging. The central theme is EVIDENCE IN A CRIME SCENE with the words: FIBER, FINGERPRINT, HAIR, TIRE MARK.

Purple Words in Today’s Connections

The purple category is deemed the most difficult. The underlying theme is WEARY, consisting of: BORE, DRAIN, EXHAUST, TIRE.

Solving Today’s Connections

Initially, the physical evidence group appears clearly (HAIR, TIRE MARK, FIBER, FINGERPRINT), alongside the hair products category (MOUSSE, SPRAY, WAX, GEL).

Commencing with the hair products is a good strategy! 🟨

Next, on to the evidence group. 🟦 Starting strong!

Then, PLAIN, BARE, SPARE, and SIMPLE align perfectly as synonyms symbolizing simplicity. 🟩

This leaves DRAIN, BORE, EXHAUST, and TIRE, all denoting low energy, minus the “ed” ending. DRAINed, BOREd, EXHAUSTed, and TIREd. 🟪

Connections
        Puzzle #687
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Playing Connections: A Brief Overview

For a comprehensive guide on playing Connections, refer to this resource. Here’s a quick recap of the rules:

To begin, access the Connections game on either the New York Times website or via their Games app. You’ll encounter a board featuring 16 tiles, each showcasing a word or phrase. Your goal is to identify a group of four tiles that share a common theme. Often, these are all of the same category (e.g., RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, and SNOW are types of precipitation), though sometimes wordplay may be involved (e.g., BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH represent types of lists: like a bucket list or guest list).

Select four items and press Submit. If your selection is correct, the category and corresponding color will be unveiled (yellow being the easiest, followed by green, then blue, and purple). If your guess is incorrect, you get another opportunity to try.

You achieve victory upon correctly identifying all four groups. However, if four incorrect guesses occur before completion, the game concludes, and the answers will be displayed.

Winning Strategies for Connections

The key to success in Connections lies in understanding that the categories are intentionally made to be complex. Be on the lookout for overlapping themes. For instance, in a previous puzzle, there were six breakfast items: BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. Curious enough, BACON ended up part of a group of artists alongside CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, while EGG belonged to a bunch of items that appear in dozens (including JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). Hence, double-check your group ensuring it contains only the specific four items.

If you find yourself stuck, examining words that seem to lack connection to others may help. When considering WHISTLER, if all that comes to mind is the iconic painting dubbed “Whistler’s Mother,” you might be onto the right track. In solving that one, researching if a painter named Close existed led to clarity, as Close also presented no apparent links.

Another advantageous approach when feeling stuck is to refer to hints, which is why these pointers are shared daily. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s puzzle!