

Today’s puzzle blends speed, carpentry, anatomy, and Spanish titles for a playful challenge.
The woodworking terms add difficulty, while the organ meats group feels more approachable.
The “El” pattern creates a satisfying discovery that anchors the trickier word groups.
The December 7 edition of NYT Connections today presents an exhilarating combination of speed, woodworking craft, anatomy, and Spanish titles. The mixture results in a puzzle that is both fun and technical at the same time.
The Yellow group is very fast, while the Blue group is more into the art of carpentry, and the Green and Purple groups create a stark thematic contrast with their opposing styles. The combination gives a constant challenge but does not feel too difficult, although some words may be hard for occasional solvers.
NYT Connections presents 16 words that must be sorted into four groups of four. Each group connects through a shared theme, category, or linguistic link. Colors mark difficulty, with Yellow as the easiest and Purple as the trickiest. Only one correct grouping exists, so each selection matters. New solvers often scan for obvious patterns before narrowing down misleading overlaps.
HEART
DOVETAIL
BARREL
CAPITAN
MITRE
GRECO
TONGUE
TRIPE
PASO
MORTISE
TEAR
BOLT
DORADO
DADO
GIZZARD
HURTLE
Yellow Group Hint
Moving very fast
One-word hint: Speed
Green Group Hint
Inside the body
One-word hint: Organs
Blue Group Hint
Woodworking joints
One-word hint: Carpentry
Purple Group Hint
Add “El” before each
One-word hint: Spanish
Yellow: Move at breakneck speed
BARREL, BOLT, HURTLE, TEAR
Blue: Woodworking joint terms
DADO, DOVETAIL, MITRE, MORTISE
Green: Organ meats
GIZZARD, HEART, TONGUE, TRIPE
Purple: El ___
CAPITAN, DORADO, GRECO, PASO
Today’s puzzle balances physical motion, craftsmanship, cuisine, and Spanish cultural references. The Woodworking subgroup could make the novices slow down, since MITRE, DADO, and MORTISE use similar-sounding words as the others, but are in no way related. The group of organ meats becomes visible when TRIPE occurs, and the Purple set shows its pattern when either CAPITAN or DORADO comes up. The overlapping of words among the terms for motion and the vocabulary of woodwork serves as a slight misdirection.
The NYT Connections puzzle for December 7 is characterized by a clear theme blend and a consistent moderate level of challenge. The Purple category presents an excellent uncovering, while the Blue category depends on specific knowledge.
Much of today’s reasoning is dictated by patterns through shared prefixes and action words. Fans tracking NYT Connections answers or browsing NYT Connections hints on December 7 will likely appreciate how today’s grid mixes clarity with clever twists.