**Connections: The New Word Game Sensation from The New York Times**

*Connections* is the latest word puzzle game introduced by the *New York Times*, quickly capturing the interest of puzzle lovers. The game invites players to find “commonalities among words.” Much like *Wordle*, *Connections* resets daily at midnight, with each subsequent puzzle presenting greater difficulty. To assist players in tackling these challenging puzzles, we’ve gathered tips and tactics to steer you in the right direction.

If you’re searching for today’s answer, scroll to the bottom of this article. However, if you’d rather solve the puzzle independently, continue reading for useful hints and insights.

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### What Is *Connections*?

The *New York Times* has introduced another success in its Games section with *Connections*, a daily word game that has gained popularity on social media. Developed with the assistance of associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu, the game is accessible on both web browsers and mobile platforms. The goal? Organize four words that share a common theme.

Each puzzle comprises 16 words that need to be classified into four categories. These categories can consist of anything from book titles to software names, country names, and additional themes. While some words may appear to align with multiple groups, there is only one accurate solution.

When players successfully identify a group of four, those words are cleared from the board. Incorrect guesses, however, are recorded as errors, with players permitted up to four mistakes before the game concludes. To simplify the task, players can shuffle the board for a new viewpoint. Each group is designated by a difficulty color: yellow (easiest), followed by green, blue, and purple. Additionally, similar to *Wordle*, players can share their results on social media.

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### Tips for Today’s *Connections* Puzzle

In need of a hint for today’s categories? Here’s a little push in the right direction:

– **Yellow**: Managing a task
– **Green**: Brews with unique flavors
– **Blue**: Activities in the financial realm
– **Purple**: Comes before “dome”

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### Today’s *Connections* Categories

Require a bit more assistance? Here are today’s categories:

– **Yellow**: Deal With
– **Green**: Types of Beer
– **Blue**: Investment Actions
– **Purple**: ___Dome

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### Ready for the Answer?

Still feeling confused? Don’t fret—here’s the answer to today’s *Connections* puzzle (#556):

– **Deal With**: FIELD, HANDLE, MANAGE, TACKLE
– **Types of Beer**: BITTER, BOCK, SOUR, STOUT
– **Investment Actions**: HEDGE, HOLD, SHORT, TRADE
– **___Dome**: CAPITOL, CHROME, ONION, TEAPOT

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Don’t be disheartened if you couldn’t solve it this time! A new *Connections* puzzle will be ready for you tomorrow, and we’ll be on hand with more hints and solutions to assist you.

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### Eager for More Puzzles?

If you enjoy word games, explore Mashable’s games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and beyond. And if you’re also indulging in *Wordle* or *Strands*, we have hints and solutions available for those puzzles as well.

Missed yesterday’s *Connections*? [Here’s the answer.](https://mashable.com/article/nyt-connections-sports-edition-hint-answer-today-december-18)

Happy puzzling!