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What follows are some subtle clues regarding today’s Connections answers. If you scroll further, you’ll uncover the themes and the final answers. Take your time and gather only the hints you require!

Credit: Connections/NYT

Clues for Today’s Puzzle Themes

Here are some hints for the categories in today’s Connections without revealing too much:

• Yellow category – A consistent color scheme (or perhaps a lack thereof).

• Green category – Identical letters.

• Blue category – Individuals in powerful roles, often referred to by these casual nicknames.

• Purple category – All feature in phrases that convey varying levels of understanding, like instructions or guidelines.

CAUTION: Spoilers Ahead!

Be ready to discover some answers. Proceed with caution if you wish to avoid spoilers! (The complete solutions are included a bit farther down.)

Important Notes on Challenging Aspects

When someone struggles (and fails) to clarify a point, a sarcastic remark might be to say it’s as MUD.

A traditional OREO typically comes in two shades.

Often, people refer to President Abraham Lincoln as “Honest ABE.”

Today’s Connections Categories

• Yellow: BLACK-AND-WHITE ITEMS

• Green: ANAGRAMS

• Blue: NICKNAMES OF U.S. PRESIDENTS

• Purple: CLEAR AS ___

DOUBLE CAUTION: SOLUTIONS ARE BELOW

Ready to dive into the answers for today’s Connections puzzle? They are detailed below.

Yellow Group Words

The yellow category is the most straightforward. The theme is BLACK-AND-WHITE ITEMS, comprising: CROSSWORD, OREO, PANDA, TUXEDO.

Green Group Words

The green category is typically the second-easiest. It revolves around ANAGRAMS with the words: ABEL, ABLE, BALE, BELA.

Blue Group Words

The blue grouping is regarded as the second-hardest. Its theme focuses on NICKNAMES OF U.S. PRESIDENTS, including: ABE, CAL, DICK, TEDDY.

Purple Group Words

The purple category is deemed the most challenging. It corresponds with CLEAR AS ___, featuring: A BELL, CRYSTAL, DAY, MUD.

Solving Today’s Connections Puzzle

A brief overview reveals that BALE, ABLE, ABEL, and BELA share the same four letters, though uncertainty exists about submitting that as a guess.

A questionable thought emerges: could ABE, DICK, and TEDDY be nicknames from the presidential roster?

PANDA, CROSSWORD, TUXEDO, and OREO are all defined by black and white. This feels like a strong connection. 🟨

A BELL, ABEL, and ABLE exhibit very similar pronunciations. Intriguing.

Testing the waters with BALE, ABLE, ABEL, and BELA, I hope to clear this board swiftly. 🟩 And it works!

Back to thinking about presidents: TEDDY likely represents Theodore Roosevelt, ABE is undoubtedly Abraham Lincoln, and DICK stands for Richard Nixon. Could CAL symbolize Calvin Coolidge? 🟦 Excellent, I’m on track.

This leaves us with the remaining words: A BELL, MUD, DAY, and CRYSTAL. All correlate to the expression regarding “clarity” in idioms: clear as A BELL, clear as MUD, clear as DAY, and clear as CRYSTAL. 🟪

Connections
Puzzle #653
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Playing Connections: A Brief Guide

A comprehensive guide to Connections is available, but here’s a quick refresher on the gameplay:

Locate the Connections game either on the New York Times website or through their Games app (previously known as the Crossword app). A game board displaying 16 tiles with individual words or phrases will appear. Your challenge is to identify four tiles that share a commonality. These can be similar types of items (for instance, RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, and SNOW all characterize wet weather) or play on words (like BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH representing types of lists: e.g., bucket list, guest list).

Select four words and click the Submit button. If you’re correct, the category and corresponding color will show up (with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple). A wrong guess allows another opportunity to try.

Winning occurs when all four groups are accurately identified. However, making four wrong attempts before completing the task ends the game and reveals the answers.

Tips for Winning Connections

The key to succeeding in Connections lies in understanding that the groupings often feature intricate overlaps. Anticipate possible combinations. For instance, one puzzle contained six breakfast items: BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. Surprisingly, BACON fit into a group of painters alongside CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, while EGG belonged to assorted items typically presented by the dozen (like JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). Therefore, it’s crucial to double-check that your chosen quartet includes only those four items before hitting “submit.”

If you find yourself stuck, consider examining words that lack an apparent connection to others. For example, if WHISTLER conjures thoughts of the painting known as “Whistler’s Mother,” you may be on the correct path. Upon solving that particular puzzle, it was necessary to research whether a painter named Close existed, as that name didn’t align with the clear themes either.

Seeking assistance by checking hints can also be an effective strategy—this is why daily tips are provided. Come back tomorrow for the next round of puzzles!