NYT Connections today — my hints and answers for Monday, December 30 (game #568)

(Image credit: New York Times)

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 #568) – today’s words

(Image credit: New York Times)Today’s NYT Connections words are…

PINKPONYCLUBAIRPLANEGRINDERWATERANTEHEROWRAPSETTLEJEOPARDYBEANSYAHOOFILTERMELTCOUGHNYT Connections today (game #568) – hint #1 – group hintsWhat are some clues for today’s NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: Sandwich typesGREEN: Cup of JoeBLUE: Top level financePURPLE: Missing punctuationNeed 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…

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NYT Connections today (game #568) – hint #2 – group answersWhat are the answers for today’s NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: LUNCH ORDERS GREEN: USED TO MAKE COFFEE BLUE: PAY, WITH “UP” PURPLE: NAMES FEATURING “!” Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #568) – the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)The answers to today’s Connections, game #568, are…

YELLOW: LUNCH ORDERS CLUB, HERO, MELT, WRAPGREEN: USED TO MAKE COFFEE BEANS, FILTER, GRINDER, WATERBLUE: PAY, WITH “UP” ANTE, COUGH, PONY, SETTLEPURPLE: NAMES FEATURING “!” AIRPLANE, JEOPARDY, PINK, YAHOOMy rating: HardMy score: 3 mistakesAccording to Branding Magazine, putting an exclamation mark at the end of a name “brings energy and enthusiasm to the brand identity system”, which makes you wonder why all companies don’t just add an exclamation mark.

Part of the reason why not is what the experts call “tonality” – it wouldn’t work for a funeral care business, for example. When some people see an exclamation mark they imagine the word being shouted – in the newspaper industry they used to call them screamers.

All four NAMES FEATURING “!” employ the mark in different ways – ironic, excited, enthusiastic, and in the case of P!nk, an upturned i.

Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Sunday, 29 December, game #567)YELLOW: SHADES OF RED BRICK, CHERRY, MAROON, RUBYGREEN: APPOINTMENT SPECIFICATIONS DATE, DURATION, LOCATION, TIMEBLUE: DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF HAIR HEAD, LOCK, STRAND, WISPPURPLE: TREE HOMOPHONES BEACH, FUR, PAIR, YOUWhat 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.

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.

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