Today’s Connections set looks simple at first glance, then turns into a pattern-spotting exercise. One lane is pure party-platter vocabulary, another is unmistakably job-site gear, and the easiest way to keep momentum is to lock those down before you get lured into the fake-food traps. If you’re stuck, say the longer phrases out loud and ask yourself whether you’d actually order them — that’s the fastest way to separate the literal bites from the figurative ones.
Play the official puzzle on the New York Times Connections page. Below are hints, categories, and the interactive practice grid.
Hints and Category Explanations
🟨 Yellow – Small plates
Think reception snacks and appetizer trays. These are the terms you’d expect on a menu when food is meant to be shared, passed around, and eaten in a couple of bites.
🟩 Green – Builder’s stuff
Picture a worksite: safety gear, access equipment, and the pieces you’d grab before you start a task. One of these is worn, one is carried, and one is the kind of tool you definitely don’t want pointed the wrong way.
🟦 Blue – Holiday mode
This set reads like a travel montage. Think packing up, taking off, and that “out of office” energy that shows up in texts the moment a trip begins.
🟪 Purple – Sounds edible but not edible
The names flirt with food, but the meanings don’t. These are phrases and references that end in something you could eat — yet none belong on a plate.
Categories
Yellow: Small plates
Green: Builder’s stuff
Blue: Holiday mode
Purple: Sounds edible but not edible
One-word anchors
- 🟨 Yellow: CANAPÉ
- 🟩 Green: HARD HAT
- 🟦 Blue: AIRPLANE
- 🟪 Purple: COPYPASTA
Practice Mode
Answers
🟨 Yellow – Small plates
CANAPÉ, FINGER FOOD, HORS D’OEUVRE, TAPA
🟩 Green – Builder’s stuff
HARD HAT, LADDER, NAIL GUN, TOOL BELT
🟦 Blue – Holiday mode
AIRPLANE, LUGGAGE, PALM TREE, SMILING FACE WITH SUNGLASSES
🟪 Purple – Sounds edible but not edible
COPYPASTA, JOHANNESBURGER, KNUCKLE SANDWICH, LICORICE PIZZA
