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 Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
Marc is TechRadar’s Global Editor in Chief and has been obsessed with Wordle and its ilk for more than two years. He's authored dozens of articles on the game for TechRadar, including a daily today's Wordle answer column and a detailed analysis of the most common letters in Wordle in every position. He's also played every Wordle ever and only lost once and yes, he takes it all too seriously.
NYT Connections today (game #495) - today's words
Today's NYT Connections words are…
- FLOP
- CHARGE
- PLASTIC
- TURN
- TIME
- RIVER
- CHANCE
- CARD
- MISS
- PRIME
- BUST
- SHOT
- RAINFOREST
- CREDIT
- DUD
- KINDLE
NYT Connections today (game #495) - hint #1 - group hints
What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?
- Yellow: This is bad
- Green: This could be great
- Blue: No coins required
- Purple: Is there an Echo here?
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 #495) - hint #2 - group answers
What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: CLUNKER
- GREEN: OPPORTUNITY
- BLUE: NON-CASH WAY TO PAY
- PURPLE: AMAZON ___
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections today (game #495) - the answers
The answers to today's Connections, game #495, are…
- YELLOW: CLUNKER BUST, DUD, FLOP, MISS
- GREEN: OPPORTUNITY CHANCE, SHOT, TIME, TURN
- BLUE: NON-CASH WAY TO PAY CARD, CHARGE, CREDIT, PLASTIC
- PURPLE: AMAZON ___ KINDLE, PRIME, RAINFOREST, RIVER
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
I did it! Yes, I managed the 'Reverse rainbow' as the NYT refers to it, by which I solved the puzzles in order from hardest (purple) to easiest (yellow). What's more, it was a perfect reverse rainbow, without any mistakes.
What does this mean? Well, it means this was an easy Connections game, because trust me, I'm no genius. For instance, AMAZON ___, featuring KINDLE, PRIME, RAINFOREST and RIVER, was one of the easiest purples we've ever had, I think. Or maybe it's only easy for me, coming off the back of two days last week writing about Amazon Big Deal Days. Maybe, but the other three were all pretty straightforward too, and I solved this in about five minutes flat.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, 17 October, game #494)
- YELLOW: GRASSY AREA GREEN, LAWN, PARK, YARD
- GREEN: DEAL WITH ADDRESS, ANSWER, FIELD, HANDLE
- BLUE: MOVIES WITH “S” REMOVED CAR, GOODFELLA, JAW, SWINGER
- PURPLE: ___ LAW CRIMINAL, HARVARD, LEMON, NATURAL
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.
