The NYT Connections puzzle for May 1, 2025, is back to challenge your wits and test your ability to spot subtle patterns in words. If you are new to the game or feeling stuck, don’t worry. This guide will walk you through helpful hints to get closer to solving the day’s challenge without immediately spoiling the fun. Still need help? The complete answer is also shared below. Whether you are a seasoned player or trying it out for the first time, today’s puzzle blends straightforward clues with clever wordplay that will keep you thinking.
Connections is a daily word game offered by The New York Times that tasks players with organizing 16 words into four groups of four, where each group shares a common theme. The game was developed under the guidance of associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu and has quickly gained popularity for its blend of logic, vocabulary, and creativity. Players are allowed four incorrect guesses, and each set is color-coded from easiest to hardest: yellow, green, blue, and purple. While some groupings are intuitive, others require careful thought and interpretation of language, idioms, or cultural references.
Today’s Connections puzzle, designated as puzzle #690, is rated at 4.5 out of 5 for difficulty, making it a challenging yet engaging experience for players. The objective is simple: sort 16 words into groups of 4. Each group of words will be connected by some common idea or theme. That common element could be anything, from games that rely on the number of letters in the words to categories that require you to spot an extra letter at the end of the word. There is no telling what sort of association there will be between words.
For those looking for hints before diving into the puzzle, here are some clues for today’s categories to help you out:
- Yellow Category: You hope to get these.
- Green Category: This must be done for some habits.
- Blue Category: Film students will know these words.
- Purple Category: Makes a word bigger, but the meaning small.
Now, let’s delve into the answers for today’s Connections puzzle. The categories and their corresponding words are as follows:
- Winnings (Yellow): POT, PRIZE, PURSE, REWARD.
- Stop, as a Habit (Green): BREAK, DROP, KICK, SHAKE.
- Movie Camera Verbs (Blue): DOLLY, PAN, TILT, ZOOM.
- Words That Precede "-Size" to Mean Small (Purple): BITE, FUN, POCKET, TRAVEL.
Each grouping is designed to challenge your ability to find the common thread among seemingly unrelated words. For example, the yellow category focuses on terms associated with winnings, such as "POT" and "REWARD," while the green category is centered around actions that signify stopping a habit, like "BREAK" and "SHAKE." The blue category features verbs commonly used in the context of movie-making, such as "PAN" and "DOLLY," and the purple category includes words that can precede "-size" to denote something small.
Players can rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded, with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong, and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
For those who might be feeling stuck, here are some tips to enhance your strategy:
- Keep it simple: Don’t analyze the connections too deeply. The game often employs simple links such as sounding similar, similar spellings, or common themes.
- Exercise caution with your guesses: You have only four guesses per puzzle per day, so every guess matters. Consider each set carefully before submitting.
- Employ the shuffle button: The initial organization is deliberately mischievous to mislead you. Shuffling the words may allow you to see new patterns or concealed connections.
Whether you solved it solo or needed a helping hand, don’t worry if today’s puzzle tripped you up. Connections resets daily, offering a fresh challenge tomorrow. Until then, happy puzzling!
