NYT 'Links' Suggestions and Resolutions for Sunday, December 29 (rephrased)
Hey there, peeps! Hope you're relishing the final weekend of the year.
I'm not much of a New Year's resolution fan, but perhaps you've been pondering yours (good luck with 'em!). I'm curious about how many new gym memberships will go unused in a few weeks.
Before you dive in, I've started a chat group for Connections and this column on Discord. Chat about the game and other topics with me and fellow players. I always appreciate learning how others approach the game, so join us! It's fun.
It's also the ideal way to give feedback about the column, especially when I mess up something (not that it happens often!).
Today's NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, December 29, are coming your way soon.
How To Play Connections
Connections is a free, popular New York Times daily word game. You get a fresh puzzle at midnight every day. You can play on the NYT website or Games app.
You're presented with a 16-word grid. Your objective is to group them into four sets of four by figuring out the connections between them. Groups could be items you can click, research study participants’ names, or words starting with body parts.
One solution exists for each puzzle, and you need to be careful with words that might fit into multiple categories. Shuffle the words to potentially reveal connections.
Each group is color-coded. The yellow group is usually the easiest, blue and green are moderately difficult, and the purple group is typically the hardest, often involving wordplay.
Choose four words you believe belong together and click Submit. If your guess is incorrect, you'll lose a life. If you're close to having a correct group, you might see a message telling you that you're nearly right, but you'll still need to figure out which one to swap.
Making four mistakes ends the game. To prevent this, use hints, and when struggling greatly, today's Connections answers. Share your results easily with friends on social media and group chats.
If you have an NYT All Access or Games subscription, you can access the publication's Connections archive. This includes every previous game of Connections, allowing you to play any missed ones.
Aside from the initial 60 games or so, my hints for each grid are typically easy to find via Google if needed! Just click here and add the date of the game to the search query for hints or answers.
What Are Today’s Connections Hints?
Slowly scroll! Just after the hints for each of today's Connections groups, I'll reveal what the groups are without immediately saying which words belong to them.
Today's 16 words are...
- BEACH
- DATE
- LOCK
- CHERRY
- FUR
- MAROON
- TIME
- PAIR
- STRAND
- HEAD
- LOCATION
- BRICK
- DURATION
- YOU
- RUBY
- WISP
And the hints for today's Connections groups are:
- Yellow group — blood and cardinal would fit in here
- Green group — calendar entry essentials
- Blue group — toupee or not toupee, that is the question
- Purple group — make like these and leaf
What Are Today’s Connections Groups?
Need some extra help?
Be cautioned: we're entering spoiler territory.
Today's Connections groups are...
- Yellow group — shades of red
- Green group — appointment specifications
- Blue group — different amounts of hair
- Purple group — tree homophones
What Are Today’s Connections Answers?
Spoiler alert! Don't scroll any further down the page until you're ready to find out today's Connections answers.
This is your final warning!
Today's Connections answers are...
- Yellow group — shades of red (BRICK, CHERRY, MAROON, RUBY)
- Green group — appointment specifications (DATE, DURATION, LOCATION, TIME)
- Blue group — different amounts of hair (HEAD, LOCK, STRAND, WISP)
- Purple group — tree homophones (BEACH, FUR, PAIR, YOU)
No perfect game today, but that makes it seven straight wins for me. Here's how I fared:
🟪🟨🟦🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟪🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟦🟦
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪
I hope those clues made some sense because goodness me, I was frustrated after making so many mistakes.
I got fooled by a red herring as I chose STRAND, BEACH, MAROON and BRICK. I wasn't even close to a group there. Darn it.
However, I got the greens after changing strategies. The yellows then became apparent to me after drawing a connection between CHERRY and RUBY.
I had a decent grasp on the blues theme, but my thoughts were more centered around broader topics related to features on the head and hair. I presumed that FUR could be a possible fit, which wasn't entirely off-base. My third misstep, however, was the inclusion of BEACH, a concept I still can't fathom why I found fitting.
Ultimately, I came to recognize my blunder and fell into a mood of blues. The purples emerged victorious. I chided myself for not recognizing the homophone connection and sticking to the time-honored method of verbally inspecting each word.
And that concludes today's Connections riddles and solutions. Remember to return tomorrow for hints and the answer to Monday's game if necessary.
P.S. When I'm exasperated, I effectively shake off my irritation by dancing. I engage a random track from my extensive playlist, leap off my seat and dance for a while.
Today, I propose this: dance it off. No matter what anxieties or concerns you're grappling with, select a lively song you adore and lose yourself in dance for a bit. Trust me, it enhances your mood, even if only for a short while.
Go ahead and enjoy your day! Don't forget to hydrate yourself! Reach out to someone cherished!
Here’s an option if you're interested, follow my blog for continuous coverage of Connections and other language puzzles, in addition to some video game news, perspectives, and analysis. Your support really assists me! Also, don't miss out on Bluesky: it's a fantastic platform to be a part of.
- Make sure to join the Discord chat group I've started for NYT Connections to discuss strategies and share your thoughts. You can find it in the How To Play Connections section.
- If you're struggling with today's NYT Connections puzzle, don't hesitate to use the hints and answers I provide, especially for the challenging purple group.
- After solving today's NYT Connections puzzle, feel free to share your results on social media or in the Discord chat group to connect with other players.
- If you're interested in accessing the NYT Connections archive, which includes every previous game, consider signing up for an NYT All Access or Games subscription.
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