NYT Connections December 9 Hints and Answers #912

Understanding NYT Connections

Good morning! If you're a fan of word games, you might be familiar with NYT Connections, a clever game from the New York Times that challenges players to group answers into various categories. It can be quite challenging, so if you need some hints, keep reading.

Once you've finished playing, why not try another round? I also provide daily Strands hints and answers, as well as Quordle hints and answers, for those who need help with those games too. Additionally, Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game that started it all.

SPOILER WARNING

If you're looking to avoid spoilers, this article contains information about today's NYT Connections puzzle. Don't read on if you want to figure it out on your own.

NYT Connections Today (Game #912) - Today's Words

The words for today's NYT Connections puzzle are:

• DOROTHY GALE
• CLOWNFISH
• TOUCAN
• PRIDE
• LEPRECHAUN
• HONEYBEE
• WONDER
• TIGER
• COUNT
• ZEBRA
• FOREHEAD
• FACTOR
• FIEVEL
• CONSIDER
• UNICORN
• INCLUDE

NYT Connections Today (Game #912) - Hint #1 - Group Hints

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

• YELLOW: Give it some thought
• GREEN: Patterned beasts
• BLUE: Linked by a colourful prism
• PURPLE: Sound like numerals

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 #912) - Hint #2 - Group Answers

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

• YELLOW: BEAR IN MIND
• GREEN: STRIPED ANIMALS
• BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH RAINBOWS
• PURPLE: BEGINNING WITH NUMBER HOMOPHONES

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

NYT Connections Today (Game #912) - The Answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #912, are:

• YELLOW: BEAR IN MIND – CONSIDER, COUNT, FACTOR, INCLUDE
• GREEN: STRIPED ANIMALS – CLOWNFISH, HONEYBEE, TIGER, ZEBRA
• BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH RAINBOWS – DOROTHY GALE, LEPRECHAUN, PRIDE, UNICORN
• PURPLE: BEGINNING WITH NUMBER HOMOPHONES – FIEVEL, FOREHEAD, TOUCAN, WONDER

Personal Reflections

My rating: Easy
My score: Perfect

Knowing the surname of the lead character from Wizard of Oz was the small piece of general knowledge that helped me get started today – although I did hesitate over LEPRECHAUN, as I associate them with four leaf clovers and the color green more than rainbows.

I thought what became STRIPED ANIMALS might have something to do with Pixar films, but I wasn’t certain so left it and managed to correctly guess BEAR IN MIND.

Speaking the remaining tiles out loud helped me to solve the purple group BEGINNING WITH NUMBER HOMOPHONES – something you can only do if you are playing Connections at home rather than on a train or in the office when you’re supposed to be working.

Yesterday's NYT Connections Answers (Monday, December 8, Game #911)

• YELLOW: GOAD, WITH "ON" – EGG, PUSH, SPUR, URGE
• GREEN: FAMOUS STREETS IN LOS ANGELES – MULHOLLAND, RODEO, SUNSET, VINE
• BLUE: MEMBER OF A DALLAS PRO SPORTS TEAM – COWBOY, MAVERICK, STAR, WING
• PURPLE: EUROPEAN CAPITALS MINUS SECOND-TO-LAST LETTER – MINK, PARS, ROE, SOFA

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.