Hey there, Connectors! I hope your Thursday is off to a great start. Ready to put that brain of yours to the test with today’s NYT Connections puzzle? Whether you’re riding high on a streak or bouncing back from yesterday’s curveball, we’ve got you covered with hints, group clues, and full answers — but scroll carefully, spoilers lie ahead!
How to Play NYT Connections
If you’re new to the game, here’s a quick refresher: The Connections puzzle presents you with 16 words. Your job is to group them into four sets of four that share a common link. The themes can range from simple categories (like “colors” or “tools”) to trickier ones involving wordplay or pop culture references.
Groups are color-coded based on difficulty:
- Yellow – usually the easiest
- Green – moderate
- Blue – a bit harder
- Purple – often the trickiest, with wordplay or subtle connections
You have four chances to guess wrong — after that, game over. So tread carefully!
Alright, Connectors — let’s jump in.
Also read: NYT Strands Hints & Answers for May 8, 2025 (Game #697)
Today’s NYT Connections Words
PEN, CUP, JOY, WICK, CHOP, CANDLE, OCEAN, DICE, YARD, PENCIL, AUTHOR, BOND, COMPOSE, JONES, SCORECARD, WRITE
Today’s NYT Connections Hints
Need a nudge in the right direction? Here’s what each color group is hinting at today:
- Yellow Group – Put it on the page
- Green Group – Essentials for a classic luck-based game
- Blue Group – Heroes from some blockbuster action franchises
- Purple Group – These words all work with the suffix “stick”
Got some ideas already? Shuffle the grid, read the words out loud, and see what clicks.
Today’s Categories Revealed (No Spoilers… Yet)
If you’re still stuck, here’s a sneak peek at the categories — no word reveals just yet:
- Yellow – Commit to paper
- Green – Needs for playing Yahtzee
- Blue – Action movie franchise protagonists
- Purple – ___stick
Related: Wordle Today: Hints & Answer for May 8, 2025 (#1419)
Today’s NYT Connections Answers
Warning: Spoilers ahead! If you want to solve it yourself, stop scrolling now.
Ready? Here we go:
- Commit to paper — AUTHOR, COMPOSE, PEN, WRITE
- Needs for playing Yahtzee — CUP, DICE, PENCIL, SCORECARD
- Action movie franchise heroes — BOND, JONES, OCEAN, WICK
- ___stick — CANDLE, CHOP, JOY, YARD
My Thoughts on Today’s Puzzle
Today’s puzzle was a fun one — slightly easier than recent brain-busters, but still clever. I initially got thrown off by WICK. My mind went to John Wick (thanks, Keanu!), but when I saw CANDLE, the wordplay connection to “candlestick” came through.
The yellow group was straightforward — anything to do with writing usually gets cleared fast. I locked in AUTHOR and WRITE early, then added COMPOSE and PEN for the win.
Green was a total flashback to game nights — DICE and SCORECARD made me think of Yahtzee, and CUP/PENCIL sealed the deal.
The blue group made me smile. Bond (James Bond), Indiana Jones, Danny Ocean, and John Wick — what a dream team! And finally, the purple group made perfect sense once I caught onto “___stick” — JOYstick, CHOPstick, CANDLEstick, and YARDstick. So satisfying!
Also read: Quordle Hints and Answers for Thursday, May 8 (Game #1200)
Final Score:
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
Perfect game! That’s win number 72 in a row — how’s your streak going?
That’s all for today’s NYT Connections breakdown. Come back tomorrow for Friday’s puzzle hints and answers. And hey — take a deep breath, drink some water, and maybe text someone you love. 💛
Happy connecting, friends!
