**Kick Off Your Week with Connections: Clues and Answers for Today’s Challenge**
It’s Monday, and the dawn of a new week can seem overwhelming—but you’re not on this journey alone! If you’re reading this, you’re probably an admirer of *Connections*, the engaging yet tricky word game that has charmed puzzle lovers everywhere. Whether you’re aiming to maintain your streak or simply need a bit of assistance, we’ve gathered the hints and answers you require to excel in today’s challenge.
*Connections* is the newest word puzzle from the *New York Times*, crafted to assess your skill in identifying “common threads among words.” Similar to *Wordle*, it refreshes every day at midnight, giving each new puzzle an exciting twist. If you find yourself perplexed by today’s collection of words, fret not—we’re here to provide you with tips, clues, and tactics to help you crack it.
If you’re eager to jump straight to today’s solution, don’t hesitate to scroll down to the end of this article. However, if you’d like to tackle it yourself with a little guidance, continue reading for some useful hints.
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### What Is *Connections*?
The *New York Times*’ latest daily word challenge has rapidly gained traction on social media. Developed with the support of associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu, *Connections* challenges participants to group together four words that have a shared theme. It’s accessible for play on both web browsers and mobile devices.
Each puzzle showcases 16 words that need to be organized into four distinct categories. These categories can encompass anything from book titles to software names, countries, and much more. While certain words might appear to fit into several groups, only one correct answer exists for each set.
When you successfully identify a cluster of four related words, those words are cleared from the board. However, wrong guesses count as mistakes, allowing you a maximum of four errors before the game concludes. To assist, players can shuffle the board to better detect connections. Each group is color-coded, with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. And much like *Wordle*, you can share your scores with friends on social media.
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### Tips for Playing *Connections*
1. **Identify Obvious Groups First**: Begin with the most noticeable connections, like colors, animals, or popular titles.
2. **Shuffle the Board**: Changing the arrangement of the words can help you spot patterns you might have overlooked.
3. **Think Creatively**: Some connections may not be straightforward, so consider broader interpretations.
4. **Utilize the Color Coding**: Yellow groups are usually the simplest, while purple ones present the most challenge.
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### Hints for Today’s *Connections* Categories
Need a little guidance? Here are some hints for today’s categories without revealing the answers:
– **Yellow**: An iconic film with a famous quote about animals.
– **Green**: A person you cherish.
– **Blue**: Noises that resemble plural letters ending in “s.”
– **Purple**: Renowned song titles that repeat.
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### Today’s *Connections* Categories
Still feeling stuck? Here are today’s categories to assist you:
– **Yellow**: *”Lions, Tigers, and Bears, oh my!”*
– **Green**: *Cherished, As A Companion*
– **Blue**: *Words That Resemble Plural Letters*
– **Purple**: *When Repeated, Popular Song Titles*
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### Today’s *Connections* Answers
Ready for the reveal? If you’re certain you want the solution, here it is:
1. **”Lions, Tigers, and Bears, oh my!”**: BEARS, LIONS, OH MY, TIGERS
2. **Cherished, As A Companion**: CLOSE, DEAR, INTIMATE, TIGHT
3. **Words That Resemble Plural Letters**: BEES, EASE, JAYS, USE
4. **When Repeated, Popular Song Titles**: BILLS, BYE, GIMMIE, PLEASE
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Don’t stress if you didn’t succeed this time—there’s always tomorrow’s puzzle to anticipate! We’ll return with more hints and answers to help you challenge your mind and keep your streak going.
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### Seeking More Puzzles?
If you’re a word game lover, visit Mashable’s [games hub](https://games.mashable.com/) for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and much more. And if you’re also engaging with *Wordle*, [check out today’s answer](https://mashable.com/article/wordle-today-answer-december-24-2024).
Missed yesterday’s *Connections*? [Get the solution here](https://mashable.com/article/connections-archive-for-nyt-subscrib