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NYT Connections is a challenging daily puzzle game that gives players 16 words to arrange into four themed sets.
The theme presents four distinct themes every day, without any connection between them.
It tests vocabulary skills by requiring players to discover hidden links without the themes being stated initially.
The NYT Connections December 18 grid is live with a new challenge for players. The objective is to create four sets of four words, but the tricky part is that some of these words fit more than one category. Therefore, deciding the exact category makes the puzzle more exciting and compelling.
The world of word puzzles is massive, but hardly others compete with the puzzles that The New York Times presents. Whether it's NYT Strands, NYT Connections, or Wordle, each of these web-based word puzzles has its specific word-guessing method. In NYT Connections, the theme isn’t stated initially, but once players guess the right sets, the game reveals the themes:
This puzzle is tricky, but some clues may make things easier for gamers. Here are some hints to help players solve today’s puzzle. Let's start with the hints category-wise:
Easiest Group (Yellow): Today’s yellow group words indicate hoping for something impossible.
Moderate Group (Green): The green group consists of words that indicate the main characters from any drama, novel or movie.
Challenging Group (Blue): The blue group words are associated with items required for art and craft.
Most Difficult Group (Purple): Finally, the purple category words are related to society.
If you are still a bit confused about the themes of today’s puzzle, below are the one-word hints. From every category, one word is listed below:
DAYDREAM
LEAD
PIPE CLEANER
WORKER
These one-word hints will help you identify what other words of the category may contain.
The given hints have hopefully resolved the confusion and helped players form the groups without many errors. However, if that’s not the case and some are still trying to figure out today's word groups, here are the solutions to the NYT Connections of December 18, 2025.
Yellow Category (BIT OF WISHFUL THINKING): DAYDREAM, FANCY, FANTASY, ILLUSION
Green Category (PROTAGONIST): HERO, LEAD, PRINCIPAL, STAR
Blue Category (COMPONENT OF AN ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECT): FELT, GLITTER, PIPE CLEANER, POMPOM
Purple Category (SOCIAL ___): BUTTERFLY, MEDIA, SECURITY, WORKER
These are the four categories for today’s puzzle, and congratulations to those who have solved it without any help.
Also Read: NYT Wordle Answer Today for December 17, 2025: Hints and Expert Walkthrough Revealed
NYT Connections differs from most NYT puzzles in that it highlights four distinct themes each day. Where most NYT puzzles present a single theme and all the words are related to that theme only, Connections set a different standard with four distinct themes every day.
Without a sound knowledge of the connection between words, there’s no way one can guess the exact word groups without help. The solution not only provides players with a satisfying experience but also enriches their vocabulary.
Also Read: Today’s NYT Strands Hints and Answers for December 17, 2025
