NYT Connections Hints for Every Group
Each practice board has four hints, one per color. Open yellow before purple. The words stay hidden until you submit a group or choose to read the answers.
NYT Connections hints is a navigational search: people already know the game and want the ladder for a board. On this site the ladder matches the practice set, not the Times' daily words. Start with today's hints, or pick a date below. The method behind the wording is the connections hint guide.
Yellow is open by default because it removes the obvious set. Green, blue, and purple stay closed until you ask for them. That order matters. A purple hint read first will make you force a spelling trick onto four words that are simply fish, birds, or cheeses.
If you want the groups in the open, use the answers page for the current board. Dated pages keep the groups behind a disclosure so the hint can do its job. Searching a date such as October 18 or September 8 lands on that board's own page, with a tease that describes the trap before any word list.
Recent practice boards
- Hints for October 26
Blue takes TAG. Purple is spelled with a double letter.
- Hints for October 22
Blue ends in STICK. Purple is a film title that names an animal.
- Hints for October 18
Blue belongs with GLASS. Purple belongs with JELLY.
- Hints for October 14
Blue needs BREAD. Purple names units that honor people.
- Hints for October 11
Blue hangs off SIGN. Purple is three letters and part of a body.
- Hints for October 10
Blue completes HOUSE. Purple is fish you can also do.
Questions
How are these NYT Connections hints leveled?
Yellow names the plain category. Green names a less obvious theme. Blue points at a missing word. Purple describes sound, spelling, or wordplay without listing the tiles.
Do the hints spoil the official Times puzzle?
They cannot. Each hint belongs to an original practice board. The Times puzzle is a different set of 16 words.
Where is the hint for a specific date?
Open the archive and choose the date. October 14 and Oct 14 are the same board. The short URLs redirect to the full month name.