New York Times 'Connections' Suggestions and Responses for December 30, Monday
Hey there, party people! New Year's Eve is just around the corner, so let's kick off the celebration a tad early with a dual tune recommendation today!
For me, there's hardly any better band at dishing out enjoyable party tunes than KC and the Sunshine Band. One of their most entertaining sing-along tracks is "Give It Up." It's so catchy, it's its own worst enemy:
By the way, I've created a Discord group for Connections and this column. You can chat about each game (and other showstoppers) with me and fellow enthusiasts. It's a blast! Join us to share thoughts on how you approach the game. Plus, it's a great spot to provide feedback if I ever happen to make a faux pas.
Today’s NYT Connections hints and answers for December 30 are on the way.
How To Play Connections
Connections is a popular, daily, free word game from The New York Times. On the stroke of midnight every day, you receive a fresh puzzle. You can solve it on the NYT website or app.
You get a 16-word grid. Your task is to form four groups of four by figuring out the connections between the words. The groups could be items you click, research study participants' names, or words preceded by body parts.
There's only one solution for each puzzle. Be wary of words that could fit into multiple categories. Shuffling the words may help reveal connections between them.
The grid is color-coded. Yellow is usually the simplest, followed by blue and green, with the challenging purple group. The purple group often involves wordplay.
Select the words you think belong together and click Submit. If you're incorrect, you'll lose a life. If you're close, you might receive a message telling you you're just one word away from a correct group, but you'll still need to figure out the tricky swap.
With four errors, you win no more. So, let's avoid that situation with the help of hints, and if you're stuck, here are today's Connections answers. It's effortless to share results on social media and group chats, too.
If you have an NYT All Access or Games subscription, you can access the Connections archive. This includes every past game of Connections, allowing you to replay your missed favorites.
Aside from the initial 60 games or so, you should find my hints via Google for each grid. Just click here and include the date of the game in your search query.
What Are Today’s Connections Hints?
Carefully scroll! After the hints for each team in today's Connections puzzle, I'll reveal the teams without revealing the words.
Today's 16 words are...
- PINK
- PONY
- CLUB
- AIRPLANE
- GRINDER
- WATER
- ANTE
- HERO
- WRAP
- SETTLE
- JEOPARDY
- BEANS
- YAHOO
- FILTER
- MELT
- COUGH
And the hints for today's Connections teams are:
- Yellow team — encased food
- Green team — coffee-related objects
- Blue team — exchange money-related phrases
- Purple team — names with an exclamation mark
What Are Today’s Connections Teams?
For extra support, be aware we're venturing into spoiler territory.
Today's Connections teams are...
- Yellow team — sandwiches
- Green team — coffee preparations
- Blue team — trading expressions
- Purple team — exclamatory names
What Are Today’s Connections Answers?
Be advised: Do not scroll further down the page until you're ready to discover today's Connections answers.
Here it is, your final warning before the spoilers:
Today's Connections answers are...
- Yellow team — sandwiches (CLUB, HERO, MELT, WRAP)
- Green team — coffee preparations (BEANS, FILTER, GRINDER, WATER)
- Blue team — trading expressions (ANTE, COUGH, PONY, SETTLE)
- Purple team — exclamatory names (AIRPLANE, JEOPARDY, PINK, YAHOO)
I wasn't triumphant today, but I extended my streak to eight wins. Here's my score:
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
Can you imagine the broad grin that graced my face when I saw PINK PONY CLUB? It will remain my song of the year, although it was released in 2020.
I took a shot in the dark with guesses of ANTE, COUGH, PONY, and AIRPLANE, not having anything particular in mind. I ended up just short of forming a group. After giving it some thought, I figured out the blues. From there, I noticed the connection between BEANS and GRINDER, which gave me the greens.
The connection to purple had me stumped before submitting the group, leaving me a tad frustrated since I also contribute to Yahoo! and its subsidiary, Engadget. D'oh! PINK refers to the singer, who swaps the "I" in her name with an exclamation mark.
That's it for today's Connections clues and answers. Don't forget to visit my blog tomorrow for tips and the solution to Wednesday's game if you need help.
P.S. I always include "Pink Pony Club" in the column before this, but I just can't help myself. It's ridiculously good, and it makes me emotional every time I hear it:
Have a wonderful day! Remember to drink enough water! Give someone you care about a call!
If you're interested, please do follow my blog for more coverage of Connections and other word games, as well as some video game news, insights, and analysis. It sincerely assists me a lot! Also, follow me on Bluesky!
- If you're struggling with today's NYT Connections, you might find helpful tips in the Discord group we have, where you can discuss strategies with fellow enthusiasts.
- For those who have joined the Discord group, today's NYT Connections hints for December 30 will be shared soon. Keep an eye out for the announcements!
- When it comes to solving NYT Connections, it's vital to pay close attention to the hints given for each team, such as the one that mentions coffee-related objects for the green team.
- As you try to form groups in NYT Connections, remember that there's only one solution for each puzzle, so think carefully before clicking Submit to avoid losing lives.
