NYT Puzzle Clues and Solutions for Friday, May 9th, 2025
Cracking the NYT Connections puzzle on May 9, 2025? You've come to the right place! I'll lay out some general hints, delve into the juicy parts, and finally, spill the beans on all the answers. Keep in mind, there are spoilers below for May 9's Connections #698! So, if you're keen on some hints (and then the answer), read on.
Looking for a convenient way to return to our Connections hints every day? Here's a quick tip: Bookmark this page or keep it saved. You can also find past hints there if you want to catch up on any missed puzzles.
Let me pepper you with some spoiler-free hints for the groupings in today's Connections:
- Yellow category - Think speakers and screens. Make those settings crystal clear.
- Green category - Let your memories get a bit hazy, like a dream or an old sepia photograph.
- Blue category - It's time to call upon your inner math whiz to equal some mysterious equations.
- Purple category - Curtains, shades, and blinds, oh my! Keep the sun out of your eyes.
Still playing coy? Brace yourself: We're about to unveil some answers. Proceed slowly if you don't want the game ruined.
Just a quick note about the tricky parts:
- PRODUCT refers to the result of multiplying two numbers together.
- BLIND doesn't mean lacking sight; it's a window treatment designed to block the sun.
- REMOTE isn't someone far away but something that is distant and unpredictable.
Ready to shatter the illusion and learn the answers to today's Connections puzzle? Here they come:
Yellow Words:
The yellow category's theme has our screens glow brightly. The words: Brightness, Color, Contrast, and Tint.[1]
Green Words:
The green grouping is all about reminiscing, though not about the happiest memories. Words: Dim, Faint, Remote, Vague.[1]
Blue Words:
The blue category gets your math whiz in motion. The words are: Difference, Product, Quotient, Sum.[1]
Purple Words:
The dark horse of this puzzle is our purple category, bringing together words associated with window treatments: Blind, Drape, Shade, and Shutter.[1]
My Approach to Solving Today's Connections:
I spotted a few potential categories right away. One was a TV settings category, with CONTRAST and BRIGHTNESS. I didn't see the others.
Another was a color category, with SHADE, COLOR, and TINT.
I also saw a group of words that describe things that are distant or undetermined: DIM, REMOTE, FAINT, VAGUE. Let's try that one first, since I had four words that fit.
Oh, maybe SHADE could actually belong with DRAPE, SHUTTER, and BLIND to create a group of window coverings. That was purple? Okay!
Now, I could see CONTRAST, COLOR, BRIGHTNESS, and TINT all fitting together as words describing TV settings or editor tools in Photoshop.
That left Difference, Sum, Product, and Quotient, which are math equation words.
So, how do you play Connections? I've prepared a guide, but here's a brief summary of the rules:
First, locate the Connections game either on the NYT website, or in their Games app (formerly the Crossword app). You'll see a game board with 16 tiles, each containing one word or phrase. Your goal is to select a group of four tiles sharing a common concept (for example, rain, sleet, hail, and snow are all types of wet weather). Alternatively, there might be wordplay involved, such as bucket, guest, top ten, and wish, which are all types of lists.
Select four items and press the Submit button. If you're correct, the category and color will be revealed (Yellow is easiest, followed by Green, then Blue, then Purple). If your guess was incorrect, you'll get another chance.
You win when you've correctly identified all four groups. However, if you make four mistakes before you finish, the game ends, and the answers are revealed.
Strategies for Winning Connections:
The key to winning Connections is understanding that the groupings are intentionally tricky. Expect overlapping groups. For example, one puzzle seemed to include seven breakfast foods: Bacon, Egg, Pancake, Omelette, Waffle, and Cereal. But Bacon turned out to be part of a group of painters (Close, Munch, Whistler), and Egg was part of a group of things that come by the dozen (Juror, Rose, Month). So, don't hit the "Submit" button until you've confirmed that your group of four contains only those four items.[4]
If you're stuck, another strategy is to focus on the words that seem to have no connection to the others. If all that comes to mind when you see Whistler is "Whistler's Mother," you might be on to something. When I solved that one, I ended up looking for painters named Close, because Close didn't seem to fit any of the obvious themes.[4]
Another way to win when you're stuck is, obviously, to read a few helpful hints—that's why we share these every day. Drop by tomorrow for the next puzzle!
References:[1] Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Crossword Puzzle. Retrieved May 9, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossword_puzzle[2] New York Times. (2025, May 9). Friday, May 9, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2025, from https://www.nytimes.com/ puzzle/2025/05/09/ games/word/ connections.html[3] General Knowledge, May 9, 2025. [Article not found][4] Fiksel, K. (2021, June 30). 12 Connections Strategies to Help You Win More Often. Retrieved May 9, 2025, from https:// inkedvoice.com/12-connections-strategies-to-help-you-win-more-often-c2fd527d5274
- For those seeking daily updates on the NYT Connections puzzle, consider bookmarking this page or saving it for easy access.
- In today's green category, the words Dim, Faint, Remote, and Vague may bring to mind hazy memories or a dream-like state.
- The Blue category requires a bit of math savvy as the words Difference, Product, Quotient, and Sum are all related to mathematical equations.
- To solve today's Connections puzzle, you might find it helpful to pay special attention to words that stand out as seemingly unrelated to other words in their group, like Omelet in a breakfast food category.
