Today’s NYT Connections Tips: Clues and Solutions for May 16, 2025
Connections is one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. The game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” Just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to help you get over the hurdle. If you just want to know today’s puzzle solution, feel free to skip to the end of this article. But if you’d prefer to solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections?
The NYT’s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publication’s Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words may seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong, and it counts as a mistake—players have up to four mistakes until the game ends.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded, with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share your results with friends on social media.
Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
- Hotnchill Highlights
Connections: How to play and how to win
Here are today’s Connections categories. Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
Looking for the answer to today’s puzzle? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions. Drumroll, please! The solution to today’s Connections #705 is…
– **Kinds of plants:** HERB, SHRUB, TREE, VINE
– **Discontinue:** DISSOLVE, END, SCRAP, SUNSET
– **Associated with bulls:** MICHAEL JORDAN, RODEO, TAURUS, WALL STREET
– **Ending with building materials:** HOLLYWOOD, HOURGLASS, KUBRICK, NEUROPLASTIC
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections puzzles for you to tackle tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands?
See hints and answers for today’s Strands. If you’re looking for more puzzles, Hotnchill has games available! Check out our games section for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and more. Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.
