To easily revisit the hints for each day’s Connections puzzle, consider bookmarking this page. You can also find past hints here, which is useful if you want to catch up on any missed puzzles.

Below, you’ll find some casual hints related to today’s Connections answers. Continue scrolling for the themes and definitive solutions. Take your time and only gather the hints you truly need!

Clues for Today’s Connections Themes

Here are some spoiler-free clues for identifying the groupings in today’s Connections:

• Yellow category – This is something you might do to paper before it goes into the trash.

• Green category – These items secure a dress (among other things) shut.

• Blue category – Activities you might perform on a blank form.

• Purple category – Representations from a famous surrealist artwork.

Caution: Spoilers Ahead!

The upcoming section will disclose some answers. Proceed with caution if you prefer not to spoil the entire experience. (A complete solution awaits you further down.)

Notes on Potential Confusing Elements

Keep in mind that BUCKLE functions as a noun, not as a verb.

CROSS and HOOK are unrelated to boxing.

BALL and STRIKE do not pertain to baseball.

Categories in Today’s Connections

• Yellow: CRUSH INTO A COMPACT SHAPE

• Green: FASTENERS

• Blue: MARK AS COMPLETED

• Purple: DEPICTED IN DALÍ’S “THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY”

Heads Up: Solutions Ahead

Ready to uncover the answers for today’s Connections puzzle? All the information is laid out below.

Words in the Yellow Category

The yellow category is regarded as the most straightforward. The theme for this grouping is CRUSH INTO A COMPACT SHAPE, with the words: BALL, CRUMPLE, SCRUNCH, and WAD.

Words in the Green Category

The green category is typically the second easiest. Its theme is FASTENERS, consisting of the words: BUCKLE, CLIP, HOOK, and SNAP.

Words in the Blue Category

The blue category is known to be the second most challenging. The theme is MARK AS COMPLETED, containing the words: CHECK, CROSS, STRIKE, and TICK.

Words in the Purple Category

The purple category presents the most difficulty. The theme is DEPICTED IN DALÍ’S “THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY”, featuring the words: ANT, BRANCH, CLOCK, and MELTING.

Approach to Solving Today’s Connections

Initially, thoughts of HOOK and CROSS being types of punches crossed the mind. Additionally, could SNAP and BALL refer to varieties of pitches? Perhaps STRIKE as well? However, that path didn’t yield results.

Consider the verbs CRUMPLE, BUCKLE, SNAP, and SCRUNCH, which all imply collapsing or breaking; though this attempt also proved unsuccessful.

A more promising combination emerged with WAD, BALL, CRUMPLE, and SCRUNCH, each suggesting compacting: a success! 🟨

The terms BUCKLE, HOOK, SNAP, and CLIP indeed matched the notion of fasteners, like those found on a shoe or garment. 🟩

Multiple words can associate with “out,” hinting at categories including CHECK, STRIKE, BRANCH, CLOCK, and CROSS—for which elimination of one was necessary.

MELTING stood out as unique with no other suffixing, suggesting a link with “point.”

Considering symbols paired with checkboxes, the words CHECK, TICK, STRIKE, and CROSS could belong to this grouping. Let’s proceed! 🟦

Lastly, uncertainty loomed over the words ANT, CLOCK, MELTING, BRANCH. The realization hit: they pertain to elements in Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory. Quite the challenge!

Connections
Puzzle #573
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🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪

Understanding How to Play Connections

A comprehensive guide for playing Connections is available, but here’s a brief overview of the game mechanics:

First, locate the Connections game either on the New York Times website or through their Games app (formerly known as the Crossword app). You’ll be presented with a game board containing 16 tiles, each displaying a word or phrase. Your objective is to identify a set of four tiles sharing a common attribute. They may represent a similar category (for instance: RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, and SNOW as types of precipitation) or involve some wordplay (like BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH as lists).

Select four words and click the Submit button. If your selection is correct, the category and corresponding color will reveal themselves. (Yellow indicates the easiest level, followed by green, blue, and finally purple.) If the guess is wrong, an opportunity arises to try again.

A victory happens when all four groups are recognized correctly. However, if you make four incorrect guesses prior to that, the game concludes and the answers become visible.

Tips for Winning Connections

The key to succeeding in Connections lies in the understanding that the categorization is intended to be challenging. Prepare for overlap between groups. For example, one puzzle appeared to contain multiple breakfast items such as BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. However, while BACON was part of a group of painters, EGG was found in a set relating to items typically counted by the dozen.

Before hitting “submit,” ensure your selected four only belong to that group. If hitting a wall, consider the words that do not seem to fit with the rest. If WHISTLER reminds you solely of the painting named “Whistler’s Mother,” you could be onto something valuable. Researching odd words, like Close, can yield fruitful insights as they often don’t align with more apparent themes.

Occasionally, a glimpse at hints can be the easiest way to proceed—this is precisely why such hints are shared regularly. Don’t forget to return tomorrow for the next puzzle!