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Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #569) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• BALL
• DROP
• DART
• GAME
• ATTENTION
• DEAR
• BRAND
• NAMES
• THRILL
• FOR
• FLY
• BLAST
• BOLT
• KICK
• TO
• DASH

NYT Connections today (game #569) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: In a hurry
• GREEN: Good times
• BLUE: To whom it may concern
• PURPLE: Your given moniker

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #569) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: MOVE QUICKLY 
• GREEN: FUN TIME 
• BLUE: WORDS BEFORE AN ADDRESSEE 
• PURPLE: NAME 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #569) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #569, are…

• YELLOW: MOVE QUICKLY BOLT, DART, DASH, FLY
• GREEN: FUN TIME BALL, BLAST, KICK, THRILL
• BLUE: WORDS BEFORE AN ADDRESSEE ATTENTION, DEAR, FOR, TO
• PURPLE: NAME _ BRAND, DROP, GAME, NAMES

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Today’s grid included several potential groups: things that come before “off”, names for potential delivery apps, various seekers of things, how someone from the 1950s might communicate happiness.

Despite these distractions, the actual groups were a little more obvious, although I did have to time travel back to a period when I actually received written communication in order to get WORDS BEFORE AN ADDRESSEE. Once, I received dozens of letters a week FOR my ATTENTION, but now the only regular communications I get through my letterbox are fast food menus, including one quite accurately addressed to The Pizza Lover.

A good Connections to end 2024 with. In fact, it was a BLAST.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 30 December, game #568)

• YELLOW: LUNCH ORDERS CLUB, HERO, MELT, WRAP
• GREEN: USED TO MAKE COFFEE BEANS, FILTER, GRINDER, WATER
• BLUE: PAY, WITH "UP" ANTE, COUGH, PONY, SETTLE
• PURPLE: NAMES FEATURING "!" AIRPLANE, JEOPARDY, PINK, YAHOO

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #303) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Resolutions

NYT Strands today (game #303) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• SOLD
• GREEN
• CLOSE
• TENSE
• CLONE
• LOVING

NYT Strands today (game #303) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Done and dusted

NYT Strands today (game #303) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 2nd row

Last side: right, 8th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #303) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #303, are…

• CODA
• ENDING
• CLOSURE
• FINALE
• EPILOGUE
• CONCLUSION
• SPANGRAM: ITS OVER

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 hint

When I saw today’s theme I began looking for things that could be New Year’s Resolutions, but quickly realised “lose some weight”, “be the best version of me” “learn Japanese”, etc would not make the greatest of puzzles. Instead, clever Strands gave us various alternatives for IT’S OVER.

Although that’s not strictly true, as an EPILOGUE is an additional piece of information or storyline after you think it’s over in films, books, and plays, then after the epilogue it really is over – or is it? Epilogues are often there to wrap up all your unanswered questions about the characters, what happened in the years after the CONCLUSION of the story – or at their worst to tease the next instalment of the franchise. Either way, we live in a time when leaving a film before the credits reach the soundtrack listings is a gamble.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, 30 December, game #302)

• SONATA
• PRELUDE
• CONCERTO
• SYMPHONY
• OVERTURE
• SPANGRAM: COMPOSITION

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1072) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1072) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1072) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1072) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1072) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• P

• T

• I

• I

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1072) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1072, are…

• PLUMP
• TUBER
• IRATE
• ICILY

Another late show for me today, although I put a mental pin in TUBER after my fourth go and decided to resist the temptation of filling in the word, in favor of going after the other words instead – then returned to it later.

I’ve still not hit on a winning technique for Quordle other than skin-of-the-teeth completions, but there was at least some strategy involved in my approach here – and that's a start, right?

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1072) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1072, are…

• SANER
• FUNKY
• CLANG
• SOOTY

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1071, Monday 30 December: TODDY, GROIN, GROWN, VERVE
• Quordle #1070, Sunday 29 December: PURER, SPLAT, RABID, EMCEE
• Quordle #1069, Saturday 28 December: BUNCH, LABOR, TRIPE, BUNNY
• Quordle #1068, Friday 27 December: BRAWL, LYING, ORGAN, CRONY
• Quordle #1067, Thursday 26 December: TATTY, OVERT, FLOUR, SWEPT
• Quordle #1066, Wednesday 25 December: LIVER, CRIER, SHORE, MURKY
• Quordle #1065, Tuesday 24 December: TIPSY, SCALE, FLYER, VALVE
• Quordle #1064, Monday 23 December: SNAKE, SAVVY, ELBOW, TWEED
• Quordle #1063, Sunday 22 December: DOUBT, SLURP, PAPER, CIVIL
• Quordle #1062, Saturday 21 December: STRIP, BUDGE, SAPPY, SHELF
• Quordle #1061, Friday 20 December: PENAL, EAGLE, DILLY, QUITE
• Quordle #1060, Thursday 19 December: JEWEL, GNOME, TRAMP, IDLER
• Quordle #1059, Wednesday 18 December: LITHE, BIRTH, HUMID, ROBOT
• Quordle #1058, Tuesday 17 December: DOING, ENJOY, SNAKY, AMPLE
• Quordle #1057, Monday 16 December: HYDRO, CREAM, CHIDE, SLIME
• Quordle #1056, Sunday 15 December: DROVE, STILT, LINEN, GIANT
• Quordle #1055, Saturday 14 December: SPIEL, ONSET, TIGER, DITTO
• Quordle #1054, Friday 13 December: ERECT, REBAR, MOIST, IDIOM
• Quordle #1053, Thursday 12 December: MILKY, CRIER, STORK, DRIER
• Quordle #1052, Wednesday 11 December: BRIAR, NASAL, SHARD, FLUFF

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