Need the answers for the June 17 New York Times Connections puzzle? To me, Wordle is more of a vocabulary test, but Connections is more of a brainteaser. You’re given 16 words and asked to put them into four groups that are somehow connected. Sometimes they’re obvious, but game editor Wyna Liu knows how to trick you by using words that can fit into more than one group.
And do you also play Wordle? We’ve got today’s Wordle answer and hints too.
We’ve also got today’s answer for Strands, a new game from the Times that’s still in beta, and some tips for how to play that game.
Read more: NYT Connections Could Be the New Wordle: Our Hints and Tips
Hints for today’s Connections groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest, yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Convey a parcel.
Green group hint: Paint for your pout.
Blue group hint: Plight or quandary.
Purple group hint: Bachelor or master’s.
Answers for today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: Deliver, as a package.
Green group: Kinds of lip makeup.
Blue group: Predicament.
Purple group: Measured in degrees.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is deliver, as a package. The four answers are mail, post, send and ship.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is kinds of lip makeup. The four answers are balm, gloss, liner and stain.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is predicament. The four answers are corner, fix, hole and spot.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is measured in degrees. The four answers are angle, crime, education and temperature.
How to play Connections
Playing is easy. Winning is hard. Look at the 16 words and mentally assign them to related groups of four. Click on the four words you think go together. The groups are coded by color, though you don’t know what goes where until you see the answers. The yellow group is the easiest, then green, then blue, and purple is the toughest. Look at the words carefully, and think about related terms. Sometimes the connection has to do with just a part of the word. Once, four words were grouped because each started with the name of a rock band, including “Rushmore” and “Journeyman.”
