‘Connections’ December 9: Answers and Hints for Game #547

Happy Monday, puzzle enthusiasts. We’re back with another set of hints for Monday’s New York Times Connections puzzle, brought to you by Newsweek.

In the wake of Wordle‘s phenomenal success—a game that captivated millions and was acquired by The New York Times in early 2022—the paper introduced Connections in 2023. This new puzzle game has rapidly garnered a dedicated global fan base, with players eagerly discussing strategies and sharing their daily results on social media.

Connections can be quite challenging, and a little nudge can sometimes make all the difference. If you’re here for a hint, we’ve got you covered. The answers for Monday’s puzzle are at the bottom of this article, so proceed with caution if you’d prefer to solve it on your own.

How to Play Connections

Every day, Connections presents players with a grid of 16 words. The objective is to organize these words into four groups of four, based on shared themes or characteristics.

The four groups are color-coded by difficulty: yellow (easiest), green, blue, and purple (most challenging). Select four words you believe form a group, and if correct, those words will be highlighted and removed from the board. The color corresponding to the group will be revealed, indicating the expected difficulty.

Players have up to four chances to guess incorrectly before the game ends. There’s no time constraint, so no need to rush things. You can also shuffle the words on the board to help spot connections you might have missed initially.

NYT puzzle editor Wyna Liu advises that when players identify five words that seem to fit a category, they should try to categorize another group first. This approach can help clarify which words belong together by process of elimination.

Connections #547 Clues for Monday, December 9

Newsweek has some hints to help you figure out today’s Connections categories.

• Yellow: Examining every angle or possibility.
• Green: Essentials for survival or a cozy evening.
• Blue: Where science meets the smallest subjects.
• Purple: These words have a missing letter at the start.

Connections #547 Answers for Monday, December 9

• Yellow Category: Deliberation
  • Consideration, Reflection, Scrutiny, Thought
• Green Category: Used In Starting A Fire
  • Green words: Flint, Lighter, Magnifying Glass, Matches
• Blue Category: Used To View A Biological Sample
  • Blue words: Microscope, Slide, Specifmen, Stain
• Purple Category: Words After “X”
  • Purple words: Factor, Files, Games, Ray

We hope you enjoyed this brainteaser. If you solved it, well done! If not, don’t worry—practice makes perfect. The next Connections puzzle will be available from The New York Times on Tuesday at midnight in your local time zone. Newsweek will be here again with more hints and solutions to keep you in the game. Happy puzzling!