Today’s Connections puzzle asked solvers to sort sixteen everyday words into four distinct groups — with one category relying heavily on how flexible a single word can be.
play today’s Connections puzzle on the New York Times websiteThe full word list for puzzle #965 was: DRESS, WISHBONE, ROLLER, BALL, SHOWER, STETHOSCOPE, BRUSH, MIXER, SLINGSHOT, SPRAY CAN, RECEPTION, COMPUTER KEY, FLUCTUATION, TUNING FORK, WORK PERIOD, and PALETTE KNIFE.
At first glance, several of these words seem to belong to completely different worlds — art tools, medical devices, social events, and abstract ideas. That contrast is exactly what made today’s grid both deceptive and satisfying once everything clicked.
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BALL, MIXER, RECEPTION, SHOWER
Each of these words can stand alone as a type of social gathering. The misdirection comes from the fact that some of them are more commonly used as verbs, which can briefly pull attention away from their role as nouns.
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BRUSH, PALETTE KNIFE, ROLLER, SPRAY CAN
This set spans both fine art and practical painting. From textured strokes with a palette knife to broad coverage with a roller, the connection lies in method rather than material.
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SLINGSHOT, STETHOSCOPE, TUNING FORK, WISHBONE
Here, shape matters more than function. Each item forms a clear Y when viewed by outline alone, even though their purposes could not be more different.
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COMPUTER KEY, DRESS, FLUCTUATION, WORK PERIOD
This was the most abstract group. “Shift” can describe a keyboard key, a type of clothing, a change or movement, and a scheduled block of labor. Many solvers only reached this category through elimination.
Puzzle #965 balanced visual connections with linguistic flexibility. Once the obvious sets were cleared away, the final group rewarded solvers willing to accept that one word can comfortably live in very different contexts.
