**Connections: The NYT Word Game Everyone’s Raving About**
*Connections* stands out as one of the most cherished word games from the *New York Times*, enthralling players with its distinct challenge of uncovering “common links between words.” Much like *Wordle*, *Connections* resets daily at midnight, with each puzzle gradually increasing in difficulty. If you’re finding it tough, we’ve assembled some tips and hints to assist you.
If you’re only after today’s solution, scroll to the conclusion of this article. However, if you prefer to solve the puzzle on your own, continue reading for strategies, clues, and insights to steer you.
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### What is *Connections*?
The *New York Times*’ newest word game has rapidly turned into a social media hit. Developed with the collaboration of associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu, *Connections* has quickly become a fixture in the *Times*’ Games section. Accessible on both web browsers and mobile devices, the game tasks players with grouping four words that share a common theme.
Each puzzle features 16 words, sorted into four categories. These categories can include anything from book titles to software names, countries, or even sandwiches. Although many words might appear to fit together, there’s only one correct grouping for each cluster.
When players successfully identify all four words in a category, those words vanish from the board. However, incorrect guesses are counted as mistakes, and players are allowed a maximum of four mistakes before the game concludes. To simplify the process, players can shuffle the board to better see connections. The categories are color-coded based on difficulty: yellow (easiest), followed by green, blue, and purple. Similar to *Wordle*, players can share their outcomes with friends on social media.
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### Hints for Today’s *Connections* Categories
Need a little help? Here are some hints for today’s categories without revealing the answers:
– **Yellow:** Sandwiches or wraps you might order at a deli.
– **Green:** Key components for brewing your morning beverage.
– **Blue:** Contributing or resolving something, often financial.
– **Purple:** Notable names or brands that are designated with extra emphasis.
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### Today’s *Connections* Categories
Still having trouble? Here’s a summary of today’s categories:
– **Yellow:** Lunch Orders
– **Green:** Ingredients for Brewing Coffee
– **Blue:** Pay, with “Up”
– **Purple:** Names Including “!”
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### Today’s *Connections* Solution
Ready for the answers? Here’s the solution to today’s *Connections* puzzle (#570):
– **Lunch Orders:** CLUB, HERO, MELT, WRAP
– **Ingredients for Brewing Coffee:** BEANS, FILTER, GRINDER, WATER
– **Pay, with “Up”:** ANTE, COUGH, PONY, SETTLE
– **Names Including “!”:** AIRPLANE, JEOPARDY, PINK, YAHOO
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Don’t be alarmed if you didn’t crack it this time! There’s always tomorrow’s puzzle to challenge your mind, and we’ll return with more hints and solutions to assist you.
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### Looking for More Games?
If puzzles are your passion, explore Mashable’s [games hub](https://games.mashable.com/) for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and much more. And if you’re also engaging with *NYT Strands*, we’ve got [hints and answers for today’s Strands](https://mashable.com/article/strands-nyt-hint-december-27) as well.
Missed yesterday’s *Connections*? [Here’s the solution](https://mashable.com/article/nyt-connections-sports-edition-hint-answer-today-december-30).