NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Monday, December 9 (game #547)
Nice console games 
Good morning! Let’s play Connections, the NYT’s clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.
What should you do once you’ve finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I’ve also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc’s Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
NYT Connections today (game #547) – today’s words
Today’s NYT Connections words are…
- RAY
- FACTOR
- LIGHTER
- STAIN
- MICROSCOPE
- GAMES
- CONSIDERATION
- MAGNIFYING GLASS
- REFLECTION
- MATCHES
- SLIDE
- THOUGHT
- FLINT
- FILES
- SCRUTINY
- SPECIMEN
NYT Connections today (game #547) – hint #1 – group hints
What are some clues for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: Ponder this
- GREEN: It’s going to burn
- BLUE: In the lab
- PURPLE: The truth is out there
Need more clues?
We’re firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today’s NYT Connections puzzles…
NYT Connections today (game #547) – hint #2 – group answers
What are the answers for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: DELIBERATION
- GREEN: USED IN STARTING A FIRE
- BLUE: USED TO VIEW A BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE
- PURPLE: WORDS AFTER “X”
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections today (game #547) – the answers
The answers to today’s Connections, game #547, are…
- YELLOW: DELIBERATION CONSIDERATION, REFLECTION, SCRUTINY, THOUGHT
- GREEN: USED IN STARTING A FIRE FLINT, LIGHTER, MAGNIFYING GLASS, MATCHES
- BLUE: USED TO VIEW A BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE MICROSCOPE, SLIDE, SPECIMEN, STAIN
- PURPLE: WORDS AFTER “X” FACTOR, FILES, GAMES, RAY
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
It’s getting near that Christmas family quiz time again, so here’s a quick 1980s pop trivia question for you inspired by today’s Connections: How many people can you name who are mentioned in Billy Joel’s hit We Didn’t Start The Fire?
I’ll leave that with you.
Before you look it up: Bonus self-satisfaction points if you get any in the correct order.
USED TO START A FIRE was the first thing to leap out from the grid, although I did initially think MAGNIFYING GLASS and MICROSCOPE belonged together.
Of the WORDS AFTER X it was FILES that I saw first, ahead of the more obvious RAY. Possibly, because I’m still holding a candle (or should that be lighter) for Scully. Surely, the easiest Purple group seen for a couple of weeks. DELIBERATION didn’t take much THOUGHT either – well not as much as trying to remember what Billy rhymed with Charles de Gaulle.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Sunday, 8 December, game #546)
- YELLOW: PUNCH BELT, BLOW, SLUG, SOCK
- GREEN: CRAM SANDWICH, SHOEHORN, SQUEEZE, WEDGE
- BLUE: COMPANIES NAMED AFTER ANIMALS CATERPILLAR, DOVE, GREYHOUND, PUMA
- PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF MUSIC GENRES INDY, METTLE, SEOUL, WRAP
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.
On the plus side, you don’t technically need to solve the final one, as you’ll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What’s more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.
It’s a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.
It’s playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
