NYT Connections today — my hints and answers for Friday, December 20 (game #558)
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 #558) – today’s words
Today’s NYT Connections words are…
- WHALE
- COCKTAIL
- FINANCE
- QUESTION
- STATEMENT
- SOLUTION
- GROWN
- WINE
- TECH
- COMMAND
- COMPOUND
- CRYPTO
- MOWN
- PHARMA
- EXCLAMATION
- MIXTURE
NYT Connections today (game #558) – hint #1 – group hints
What are some clues for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: Mixed up
- GREEN: Grammatically complete
- BLUE: Borish brothers
- PURPLE: Sounds like grumbling
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 #558) – hint #2 – group answers
What are the answers for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: CONCOCTION
- GREEN: TYPES OF SENTENCES
- BLUE: KINDS OF BROS
- PURPLE: COMPLAINT HOMOPHONES
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections today (game #558) – the answers
The answers to today’s Connections, game #558, are…
- YELLOW: CONCOCTION COCKTAIL, COMPOUND, MIXTURE, SOLUTION
- GREEN: TYPES OF SENTENCES COMMAND, EXCLAMATION, QUESTION, STATEMENT
- BLUE: KINDS OF BROS CRYPTO, FINANCE, PHARMA, TECH
- PURPLE: COMPLAINT HOMOPHONES GROWN,MOWN, WHALE, WINE
- My rating: Hard
- My score: 1 mistake
This was a rare day where I landed on the Purple group first. It’s easy to overlook homophones, but I sometimes get these groups by reading the grid out loud in the dullest voice I can muster – obviously not something you can do if you’re having a sneaky game of Connections in the office. Unless, of course, you want to confuse your co-workers.
It also helps if you’re not great at spelling and thought whine was spelt WINE and wail was spelt WHALE. That’s not me of course, my spelling and grammar is exceptional. That’s why, a-hem, I got TYPES OF SENTENCES last – I was saving it, one in the bank. Or was I? (QUESTION) Hell no! (EXCLAMATION)
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Thursday, 19 December, game #557)
- YELLOW: DEFER DELAY, POSTPONE, SHELVE, TABLE
- GREEN: BAR FIXTURES COUNTER, KEG, STOOL, TAP
- BLUE: WATERCRAFT BARGE, JUNK, SUB, TUG
- PURPLE: SEEN IN “DONKEY KONG” BARREL, GORILLA, HAMMER, LADDER
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.
