Today’s Answer and Clues (Thursday, May 16, 2024)

Connections requires players to find the connections between 16 words, and place them in four groups of four. If you want some help, we have the solution to Connections for May 16, 2024, along with hints to help you solve it yourself.

SPOILERS AHEAD (CLUES)

Category Clues for Today’s Connections (#340)

Today, as every day, you need to split the 16 words that make up the Connections puzzle grid into four groups of four based on specific categories. It isn’t as easy as it sounds. Fortunately, we’re on hand to help you solve today’s Connections puzzle.

If you want to jump straight to today’s Connections solution, scroll past the next spoiler warning. However, if you’d rather see some category clues designed to help you solve it without giving the answers away first:

• Yellow: “What’s in the roll on your phone”
• Green: “When winning is a breeze”
• Blue: “From A to B, gracefully”
• Purple: “Dogs like to wrap themselves in these”

SPOILERS AHEAD (CATEGORIES)

Today’s Connections Solution (May 16, 2024)

If those clues aren’t enough, and you’re still struggling to beat Connections #340 without running out of mistakes, here is the solution…

Today’s Connections Categories Without the Answers

• Yellow = “Photo”
• Green = “Assure, as a Victory”
• Blue = “Move in an Effortless Way”
• Purple = “____ Blanket”

With the categories revealed, you should try to guess which words belong where. There are 16 words in total, with four belonging to each category.

If you are still stuck despite knowing the names of each category, continue scrolling down for the 16 words organized into their respective categories.

SPOILERS AHEAD (SOLUTION)

Today’s Connections Categories Plus the Answers

• Yellow: “Photo” = PIC, SHOT, SNAP, STILL
• Green: “Assure, as a Victory” = CINCH, ICE, LOCK, SECURE
• Blue: “Move in an Effortless Way” = BREEZE, COAST, GLIDE, SAIL
• Purple: “____ Blanket” = PICNIC, SECURITY, THROW, WET

What Made Today’s Connections Difficult

Today’s Connections puzzle was made difficult due to the following:

1. The most obvious red herrings today are the whole Green and Blue categories, as many of the Blue words could also belong in the Green category. As you can “breeze,” “coast,” “glide,” or “sail” to victory.
2. Other red herrings include “pic” and “picnic” (which sound like they belong together), “snap” and “secure,” (which conjure up an image of locking something shut), plus “ice,” “breeze,” and “wet” as words related to weather conditions.
3. None of the categories are particularly tough today, but some of the words don’t obviously belong. I don’t think I have ever used “cinch” or “ice” for assuring victory, for example. And while I, like many people, have a “throw” over my sofa, I have never referred to it as a “throw blanket”.

Our Top Tips to Beat Connections Every Day

1. Shuffle the words as many times as you need. Shuffling the words around means you’re more likely to spot the connections.
2. Look for differences as well as similarities. The NYT is trying to trip you up, so look for what divides the words with similar meanings.
3. Take your time, and don’t rush into a guess. Connections isn’t a timed challenge, so you have the luxury of planning everything out.
4. Look for common themes over time. The more you play Connections, the more you’ll spot recurring themes cropping up regularly.
5. Tune into the NYT editors’ way of thinking. It’s the puzzle setters you’re competing against, so you need to understand their game plan.

Now that you have completed today’s Connections puzzle (with a little help from your friends at MUO), you should check out some of the other free games from the New York Times.

Wordle is the best-known of them all, and challenges you to find a 5-letter word within six guesses. For every letter you find, you get told if it’s in the correct place, allowing you to whittle down the possible options. If you need help with Wordle, check out our tips and tricks to improve your Wordle score.

There’s also Strands, the newest addition to the New York Times’ burgeoning list of games. Just like Connections, it’s extremely challenging, but in a unique string-the-letters-together way. We recommend you check out our best tips for beating Strands to give yourself a leg up on the daily challenge.

Or, if you’re really only into Connections but want more tips than are offered above, check out our longer list of Connections tips and tricks.