On Tuesday, December 23, 2025, puzzle enthusiasts around the globe found themselves scratching their heads over the latest installment of the New York Times' daily word game, Connections. Puzzle #926, released just before the holiday rush, proved to be a particularly tricky challenge, with clever twists, red herrings, and a set of categories that demanded both broad knowledge and sharp lateral thinking. The day’s grid, as covered by Lifehacker and HerZindagi, was anything but straightforward, delighting devoted solvers and stumping even seasoned players.
For those unfamiliar, Connections is a daily test of logic and pattern recognition, asking players to organize sixteen seemingly unrelated words into four groups of four. Each group is united by a hidden theme—sometimes obvious, sometimes maddeningly obscure. While the rules are simple, the game’s real challenge lies in its wordplay and the editors’ knack for slipping in misleading connections. As HerZindagi notes, “the grid might seem straightforward at first glance, but it is riddled with clever red herrings designed to break your streak right before the holidays.”
On December 23, the puzzle’s categories were as follows: Yellow—Vulnerability; Green—Freudian Concepts; Blue—Characters in Capes; and Purple—Starting with Slang for Sausage. Each group had its own particular flavor, demanding players to think across disciplines, from psychology and literature to pop culture and playful language.
Let’s break down each category and see how the answers fit together, as explained by Lifehacker and echoed by HerZindagi.
The Yellow category, labeled “Vulnerability,” included the words ACHILLES’ HEEL, DOWNFALL, KRYPTONITE, and SOFT SPOT. According to Lifehacker, “ACHILLES’ HEEL, DOWNFALL, SOFT SPOT, and KRYPTONITE are all words for someone’s weakness.” The inclusion of terms from mythology, everyday speech, and even comic book lore highlights the puzzle’s cross-cultural reach. KRYPTONITE, famously Superman’s only weakness, sits comfortably alongside the ancient Greek reference of ACHILLES’ HEEL and the more colloquial SOFT SPOT. DOWNFALL rounds out the set, representing the ultimate consequence of a vulnerability left unchecked.
Moving to the Green category, solvers encountered a nod to classic psychology with the theme “Freudian Concepts.” Here, the words were FIXATION, OEDIPUS COMPLEX, SUPEREGO, and UNCONSCIOUS. As Lifehacker points out, “FIXATION is a term that describes a certain psychologist’s theories about sexual development.” Each word in this group is directly tied to Sigmund Freud’s theories of the mind and personality. The OEDIPUS COMPLEX, perhaps his most famous (and controversial) idea, sits alongside the SUPEREGO—the moralizing component of the psyche—and the UNCONSCIOUS, Freud’s vast reservoir of hidden thoughts and desires. FIXATION, meanwhile, refers to the developmental ‘stuck points’ Freud described in his psychosexual stages.
The Blue category, “Characters in Capes,” was a playful nod to pop culture, featuring DARTH VADER, DRACULA, LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, and SUPERMAN. As Lifehacker explains, “those are all characters who wear capes or cloaks.” This grouping cuts across genres and centuries, bringing together a sci-fi villain (DARTH VADER), a gothic monster (DRACULA), a fairy tale heroine (LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD), and a comic book icon (SUPERMAN). The common thread? Each is instantly recognizable by their dramatic, flowing attire—a cape or cloak that has become part of their mythos.
Finally, the Purple category, “Starting with Slang for Sausage,” was the trickiest of all. The words here—BRATZ, DOGMA, FRANKENSTEIN, and LINKLATER—each begin with a term for a sausage or hot dog: brat (as in bratwurst), dog (as in hot dog), frank (as in frankfurter), and link (as in sausage link). Lifehacker described this as “just crazy enough to work,” noting the creative leap required to spot the connection. BRATZ is a toy brand; DOGMA is a term for religious doctrine; FRANKENSTEIN is the famous literary monster; and LINKLATER refers to the film director. Yet, the unifying element isn’t their meaning, but the playful linguistic twist at the start of each word.
This particular puzzle drew praise and frustration in equal measure. As HerZindagi puts it, “today’s selection of 16 words requires a mix of pop-culture knowledge and a keen eye for linguistic wordplay.” The editors’ fondness for red herrings was on full display. For instance, KRYPTONITE and SUPERMAN might seem like natural partners, but they actually belonged to separate categories—one representing vulnerability, the other a caped character. Similarly, FIXATION, while it sounds like something that could fit in several groups, was firmly anchored in the Freudian set.
To help players navigate these traps, both outlets offered a range of strategies. HerZindagi advised, “Evade the ‘Red Herrings’: If a word fits perfectly into two different themes, don’t rush the guess. Set it aside and solve the more obvious groups first; the leftover words will reveal which category the overlap word truly belongs to.” Another tip: use the shuffle button to break up deceptive visual patterns, and “secure the easy wins first.” By knocking out the Yellow and Green groups, players found it easier to deduce the more abstract Purple category. Paying close attention to proper nouns and thinking beyond literal definitions—considering homophones, compound words, or hidden prefixes—was also recommended.
For many, the genius of Connections lies in its ability to blend the straightforward with the subtle, rewarding those who can think both logically and creatively. “The most important thing to know to win Connections is that the groupings are designed to be tricky,” Lifehacker reminds readers. Overlapping groups and words that seem to fit multiple categories are all part of the game’s charm—and its challenge.
In the end, whether players triumphed or were stumped by December 23’s puzzle, the consensus was clear: Connections remains a highlight of the daily puzzle calendar, offering a little brain-bending fun (and frustration) just in time for the holidays.
