The New York Times’ daily Connections puzzle continues to challenge players with its deceptively simple yet surprisingly difficult word associations. Today’s iteration, #907, offers a mix of straightforward and obscure groupings. For those seeking a quick assist, here’s a breakdown of the hints and answers.
Puzzle Overview
Connections presents sixteen words that fit into four categories of four. The challenge lies in identifying the common thread that links each group. The game now features a performance-tracking bot, allowing registered players to analyze their completion rate, perfect scores, and win streaks. This adds a layer of competition beyond simply solving the puzzle.
Hints for Each Group
The difficulty of Connections puzzles varies. The categories are color-coded: yellow (easiest), green, blue, and purple (most difficult). Here’s a hint for each, in order of increasing complexity:
- Yellow: Comfort and closeness.
- Green: Consumption of liquids.
- Blue: Items requiring construction.
- Purple: Animal facial features.
Complete Answers
Here’s the breakdown of today’s solutions:
- Yellow Group (Cuddle): Draw close, hold tight, nuzzle, spoon. This group centers around intimate physical affection.
- Green Group (Imbibe): Guzzle, knock back, pound down, swill. All terms describe rapid or excessive drinking.
- Blue Group (Things You Assemble): Ikea furniture, Lego set, model, puzzle. These all require putting pieces together to create a finished product.
- Purple Group (Snouts): Beak, muzzle, proboscis, rostrum. This category focuses on the elongated noses or mouthparts of various animals.
Notable Past Puzzles
The most challenging Connections puzzles often rely on abstract or less obvious associations. Some previous examples include:
- Puzzle #5: “Things you can set” (mood, record, table, volleyball) — a mix of figurative and literal interpretations.
- Puzzle #4: “One in a dozen” (egg, juror, month, rose) — a completely abstract grouping.
- Puzzle #3: “Streets on screen” (Elm, Fear, Jump, Sesame) — referencing famous street names from pop culture.
The Connections puzzle is designed to be both engaging and frustrating. Solving it often requires lateral thinking and a bit of luck.
The success of the game lies in its ability to test players’ pattern recognition skills in a daily, digestible format.
