NYT Connections Hints and Answers for December 5, 2025, #909

Happy Friday, fellow puzzlers! Hope you're all cozy and warm on this chilly, overcast day. As I navigated through the scattered papers on my desk this morning, I couldn't find my trusty pen. After a frantic search, guess where I discovered it? Nestled snugly in the cookie jar! Apparently, my morning scribbles needed a touch of sweetness.

Speaking of hidden treasures, today's "Connections" puzzle is like a scavenger hunt through a maze of words, each leading to the next in a colorful chain. Keep an eye out for those clever decoys and scan for loose synonyms; they love to play hide-and-seek in the yellow, green, blue, and purple tiers.

So, ready to embark on this linguistic adventure with me? Dive in, untangle the threads, and let the words weave their magic. If you're stuck or need a nudge in the right direction, don't hesitate to share hints or jump in for a collaborative solving session. Let's crack these connections together!

How to Play NYT Connections

Overview

Connections is a daily word puzzle game from The New York Times. The goal is to find groups of four words that share something in common. You’re presented with 16 words arranged in a 4×4 grid, and you must identify four groups of four related words.

Basic Rules

• You have 16 words total, arranged in a 4×4 grid
• There are exactly 4 groups of 4 related words each
• Each word belongs to exactly one group
• You must find all four groups to complete the puzzle
• You have 4 mistakes allowed before the game ends

How to Play

• Look at all 16 words and try to identify patterns or connections
• Select 4 words you think belong together by clicking/tapping them
• Click “Submit” to check if your group is correct
• If correct, those 4 words will be removed and grouped together
• If incorrect, you lose one of your 4 allowed mistakes
• Continue until you find all 4 groups or run out of mistakes

Difficulty Levels

The four groups are color-coded by difficulty:

• 🟨 YELLOW: Easiest – usually straightforward categories
• 🟩 GREEN: Easy-Medium – slightly more complex connections
• 🟦 BLUE: Medium-Hard – trickier associations or wordplay
• 🟪 PURPLE: Hardest – often involves puns, multiple meanings, or very subtle connections

Strategy Tips

• Start with the most obvious connections first
• Be careful of red herrings – words that seem to fit multiple categories
• If you’re unsure, try to eliminate what doesn’t belong first
• The purple group often involves wordplay, homophones, or very creative connections
• Don’t guess randomly – you only have 4 mistakes

Scoring

• Complete the puzzle to see your results
• Mistakes are tracked but don’t affect your final score
• Share your results with friends using the share button
• Results show how many mistakes you made for each group