NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, March 18 (game #646)

NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
(Image credit: New York Times)
Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, March 17 (game #645).

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 Connections hints.

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 #646) - today's words

NYT Connections hints for game 646 on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

  • KINDER
  • DICE
  • SINGULAR
  • DIE
  • OXEN
  • SPECIAL
  • DEER
  • LICE
  • UNIQUE
  • SHEEP
  • SQUID
  • ANGST
  • MICE
  • WURST
  • REMARKABLE
  • SHRIMP

NYT Connections today (game #645) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: One of a kind 
  • GREEN: European language 
  • BLUE: One sounds the same as some
  • PURPLE: Some sounds different to one

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 #646) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: EXCEPTIONAL 
  • GREEN: GERMAN WORDS 
  • BLUE: PLURAL ANIMALS IDENTICAL TO THEIR SINGULAR FORMS 
  • PURPLE: PLURAL WORDS THAT ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM THEIR SINGULAR FORMS 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #646) - the answers

NYT Connections answers for game 646 on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #646, are…

  • YELLOW: EXCEPTIONAL REMARKABLE, SINGULAR, SPECIAL, UNIQUE
  • GREEN: GERMAN WORDS ANGST, DIE, KINDER, WURST
  • BLUE: PLURAL ANIMALS IDENTICAL TO THEIR SINGULAR FORMS DEER, SHEEP, SHRIMP, SQUID
  • PURPLE: PLURAL WORDS THAT ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM THEIR SINGULAR
  • FORMS DICE, LICE, MICE, OXEN

  • My rating: Hard
  • My score: 2 mistakes

Maddening is the only way to describe today’s Connections.

I roared through the yellow and green groups, at first thinking “this couldn’t be as straightforward as just being GERMAN WORDS could it”? EXCEPTIONAL was equally unchallenging. But then I hit the wall.

Before I finally realized the connections were plurals, I initially thought it must be something unique to the animals, so I put SHRIMP, SQUID, LICE and MICE together, thinking they all had flexible bodies or something. Yes, fair enough, I was reaching.

Then, when I realized it was about linguistics, I still didn’t fully get it and included LICE instead of DEER.

As infuriating as this was (I’d argue OXEN is not that different to Ox) I admire how SINGULAR and DIE (the singular of DICE) were also in the puzzle.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.


Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 17 March, game #645)

  • YELLOW: FILAMENT FIBER, STRAND, STRING, THREAD
  • GREEN: UNINHIBITEDNESS ABANDON, FREEDOM, SPONTANEITY, UNRESTRAINT
  • BLUE: KINDS OF TRUCKS DUMP, GARBAGE, MONSTER, PICKUP
  • PURPLE: BANDS MINUS THE NUMBER FIVE BEN FOLDS, JACKSON, MAROON, MC

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.

Contributor

Johnny is a freelance pop culture journalist who has been writing about the internet, music, football and famous people since the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. Previously known by the pseudonym the Pop Detective, his journalistic career began making up stories about Madonna's addiction to sausage rolls (this is not true by the way). A man of few talents, his career is rich and various and includes the highs of interviewing Elton John and Blur; and the lows of interviewing Right Said Fred, appearing on a Channel 5 documentary about Peter Kay, and fact-checking the instruction manual for a German cooker. Somehow still affording to live in North London he is at his happiest riding his bicycle and shouting at pigeons.

With contributions from

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, March 17 (game #645)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, March 4 (game #632)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, March 13 (game #641)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Wednesday, March 12 (game #640)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, March 11 (game #639)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #643)
Latest in Gaming
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, March 18 (game #646)
Seagate's new Genshin Impact Limited Edition SSD on a desk.
I didn't know an SSD could be cute until I saw Seagate's new Genshin Impact limited edition
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
Knights of the Old Republic remake developer Saber Interactive states all its projects are 'still in development'
God of War 20th Anniversary Graphic.
Sony has unveiled some goodies to celebrate God of War’s 20th anniversary, but it's not the remaster I was hoping for
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, March 17 (game #645)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, March 16 (game #644)
Latest in News
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, March 18 (game #1149)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, March 18 (game #380)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, March 18 (game #646)
AI fashion
I asked ChatGPT 4o, Gemini Live, and Siri what to wear, and only one could really help me look my best
Seagate's new Genshin Impact Limited Edition SSD on a desk.
I didn't know an SSD could be cute until I saw Seagate's new Genshin Impact limited edition
European Union technical background
EU tech companies push for digital sovereignty, reducing reliance on US and others