Today’s Connections puzzle has that delightful mix of “I swear I’ve seen this before” energy and one group that feels weirdly specific. If you got stuck, you’re not alone—especially with the category that clues your brain to think toilet before you realize it.
Here are hints with just enough nudging to steer you toward the right sets, plus the full answers once you’re ready for the spoiler.
Hints
Yellow group (easiest): Home repair elements. Think everyday parts you might encounter when something in a house’s electrical system needs attention.
Green group: Put together. This one reads like a techy verb prompt—multiple options that mean “to combine” but with slightly different flavors.
Blue group: Think Ty D Bowl. That phrase points your attention toward what a bathroom device actually does, in a very literal way.
Purple group (tougher): The front part of a head. This isn’t anatomy trivia so much as a word game prompt for expressions.
When you’re solving, a useful approach is to lock in the theme first: once one word group clicks, the remaining three usually become easier to eliminate—even if you don’t see the final targets instantly.
Answers
Yellow group (Circuit components): breaker, fuse, relay, switch.
Green group (Digital coupling verbs): connect, join, pair, sync.
Blue group (Things a toilet does): drain, flush, refill, swirl.
Purple group (____ face expressions): game, long, poker, straight.
That blue group is a perfect example of why Connections can be so funny: it turns a mundane object into a set of verbs that feel oddly dramatic once you know what to look for. If you’re still solving, try starting with one confirmed theme word and then testing every remaining option against that theme—often the odd one out becomes obvious fast.
If you enjoy solving alongside friends, the Times’ scoring bot can add some extra satisfaction to your run—especially if you like tracking your win streak and how quickly you find the groups. For more Crossword-style puzzle support and spoilers when you’re truly stuck, the best strategy is still the same: trust the category once it reveals itself, and let elimination do the heavy lifting.
