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Clever red herrings make surface-level groupings misleading and demand deeper word analysis.
Food, money, and sound-based themes intersect, creating layered yet approachable puzzle logic.
The purple category relies on wordplay, rewarding careful attention to subtle letter additions.
The NYT Connections riddle for December 24 presents a smart combination of common language, puns, and traditional misleading hints. The grid looks nothing special at first sight, but hidden overlaps quickly increase the difficulty. Some words indicate clear categories, but the puzzle still pays off with patience and meticulous pattern-spotting. The puzzle difficulty is moderate, along with one noticeable red herring that is specifically intended to trick even the most veteran players.
NYT Connections is a daily word game that presents 16 words in a four-by-four grid. The goal is to sort them into four correct groups of four, based on shared themes. Each group has a single correct category. Players are allowed only three mistakes, which adds pressure to every selection. Categories are color-coded by difficulty, with yellow as the easiest and purple as the trickiest.
SINGE
MUNCH
PAPER
POLLOCK
BACON
CHAMP
CHAR
WHISTLER
BITE
TANG
RAPT
CHEESE
HUMP
BREAD
SOLE
CREW
Yellow Group: Common terms tied to everyday earnings
Green Group: Actions related to eating
Blue Group: Aquatic life
Purple Group: Musical sounds with a twist
Yellow: BACON
Green: CHAMP
Blue: SOLE
Purple: WHISTLER
Yellow (Slang for money): BACON, BREAD, CHEESE, PAPER
Green (Masticate): BITE, CHAMP, CHEW, MUNCH
Blue (Fish): CHAR, POLLOCK, SOLE, TANG
Purple (Ways to vocalize musically plus a letter): HUMP, RAPT, SINGE, WHISTLER
These NYT Connections answers confirm that surface-level associations often distract from the true logic.
Misleading one-word were mostly associated with many renowned painters, which never got into a valid group. This false lead drew the focus to fish names and food activities. The purple group of the puzzle is quite ahead, as it is the most artistic, since it has fused sound verbs with very few letter changes.
The NYT Connections puzzle on December 24 is a prime example of why NYT Connections is still so captivating today. Ordinary words have hidden meanings, and misleading intersections create tension. This particular grid is better suited to slow, steady elimination than to speed, and it shows that questioning first instincts is still very effective. Players who are looking for patterns will still find food-related clues and playful word constructions among the themes that keep coming back.
