NYT Connections Dec 31 blends New Year vibes, cosmic mysteries, disappearing places, and Philly icons, creating a cleverly challenging yet satisfying puzzle.
From fireworks and champagne to Bermuda Triangle twists and Philadelphia legends, today’s NYT Connections offers a fun mix of logic, culture, and wordplay.
December 31 NYT Connections tests players with festive themes, vanishing spots, water-related phrases, and Pennsylvania highlights, making it tricky yet rewarding.
Today’s year-ending NYT Connections is special for word-puzzle enthusiasts. The New York Times has brought a grid today that presents a wide range of themes. From New Year-related words to cosmic concepts to waterways, the grid has four distinct themes to explore. The grid for December 31 not only allows players to brainstorm but also presents challenges that require logic.
Themes are mingling so closely that they actually confuse, and a few words are also roaming around the categories before settling into the right groups. This scenario makes today's NYT Connections not only clever but also very satisfying for puzzle lovers, from novices to experts.
NYT Connections tasks players with sorting 16 words into four hidden groups. Each group contains four terms linked by meaning or theme. Colors reveal difficulty: yellow for simple categories, green for moderate themes, blue for challenging cultural references, and purple for the most complex wordplay or niche topics. Mistakes are limited, which keeps the challenge tight and engaging. This format explains why NYT Connections remains one of the most popular daily word games today.
Before proceeding toward the solution of the puzzle, here are the 16 words of today’s NYT Connections:
FIREWORKS, BROTHERLY LOVE, SEA BASS, NOISEMAKER, BERMUDA TRIANGLE, DRYER, BALL DROP, CHEESESTEAK, LIBERTY BELL, ROCKY, BAY LEAF, BLACK HOLE, COUCH CUSHIONS, CHANNEL SURF, CHAMPAGNE, FLUTE, SOUND BARRIER
Is the NYT Connections December 31 grid giving you a hard time? Check out the clues below to make the solution easier:
Yellow Group: Think of words that are connected to welcoming a new year.
Green Group: Think of words that are generally synonymous with swallowing things metaphorically.
Blue Group: These terms are commonly associated with the city of Pennsylvania
Purple Group: Phrases that are associated with waterbodies.
Groups One-Word Hint for Each Group
If you’re still struggling to find the words for each category, below are the one-word hints from each group to make things easier for you:
Yellow Group: BALL DROP
Green Group: BLACK HOLE
Blue Group: LIBERTY BELL
Purple Group: SOUND BARRIER
Also Read: NYT Wordle Answer Today for December 30, 2025: Hints and Solution Explained
If you have already figured out the categories of today’s Connections, that’s great. However, if there’s still confusion and you want to know which words should make the exact categories, below are the solutions:
Yellow Group (HAPPY NEW YEAR!): BALL DROP, CHAMPAGNE FLUTE, FIREWORKS, NOISEMAKER
Green Group (PLACES WHERE THINGS DISAPPEAR): BERMUDA TRIANGLE, BLACK HOLE, COUCH CUSHIONS, DRYER
Blue Group (ASSOCIATED WITH PHILADELPHIA): BROTHERLY LOVE, CHEESESTEAK, LIBERTY BELL, ROCKY
Purple Group (STARTING WITH BODIES OF WATER): BAY LEAF, CHANNEL SURF, SEA BASS, SOUND BARRIER
The December 31 edition of NYT Connections strikes a clean balance between celebratory words and related terms. While players can find some words easily, a few will make things complicated by fitting into multiple themes.
The layout is more straightforward than it sometimes presents, but the combination of themes still maintains the fun factor. It’s an attractive, neat grid that merges simplicity with allure, making for an excellent start to the week.