NYT Connections Hints and Answers for Game #979 [2025]

There's something oddly satisfying about that moment when the four words suddenly click into place. One second you're staring at what looks like random clusters of letters, and the next, boom—the connection reveals itself and you're grinning at your screen.

That's the magic of NYT Connections. It's a deceptively simple premise that somehow manages to trip up even the most confident puzzle solvers. You get sixteen words. You need to group them into four sets of four. Each group shares a common theme. Sounds easy, right?

Wrong.

The New York Times crafted this game to be tricky in ways that go way beyond just finding the obvious connection. They'll hide wordplay, use homophones, throw in red herrings, and make you second-guess every instinct you have. It's like they specifically designed it to punish confidence.

But here's where strategy comes in. If you understand how the puzzle makers think, if you know what tricks they love to use, you can navigate the game way more efficiently. You don't have to rely purely on luck or that one person in your friend group who somehow always solves it in ninety seconds.

In this guide, I'm breaking down game #979 completely. I'll start with some gentle hints if you just need a nudge. Then I'll walk you through the fuller clues. And finally, if you've been stuck for too long, I've got the complete answers with explanations for why these connections actually work.

Whether you're a daily player trying to protect a massive streak or someone who just picked up the game last week, you'll find what you need here. Let's get into it.

TL; DR

• Game #979 has four groups centered around upward momentum, physical protrusions, a famous actor, and a specific word pattern
• Yellow (easiest) is about going up with synonyms for increase and positive movement
• Green involves things that stick out with a brilliant vocabulary play on the word "protuberance"
• Blue connects multiple character names from one incredibly prolific Hollywood career
• Purple requires knowing the pattern of words that precede a specific mint-related term
• The biggest trap is mistaking character-sounding words for a sitcom connection instead of their real theme

Estimated data shows that NYT Connections puzzles increase in difficulty from yellow to purple, with purple requiring the most abstract thinking.

Understanding NYT Connections Strategy Before You Play

Let me be honest with you: Connections isn't just about vocabulary. It's about understanding how the puzzle creators' brains work. They follow patterns. They love certain types of tricks. Once you spot the pattern, the game becomes dramatically easier.

The difficulty tiers aren't just about complexity—they're about how obvious the connection is. Yellow groups? Those are straightforward. You see the theme immediately. Green starts introducing wordplay. Blue brings in trickier language territory. Purple? Purple is where the puzzle makers get genuinely creative.

What makes someone good at this game isn't intelligence, exactly. It's pattern recognition combined with a weird mix of knowing pop culture, understanding language, and being willing to think sideways.

There's also the mental game to consider. When you get one group right, your brain gets a hit of dopamine that makes the remaining groups feel easier. Conversely, get one wrong—especially if it's a group you were sure about—and suddenly everything feels harder. The game messes with your confidence intentionally.

I've found that the best approach is this: Start by looking for the most obvious group. Get that win. Use that momentum. Then work on the second-most obvious group. Only after those are locked in should you start thinking about the tricky stuff. This approach works because it gives you information through elimination. Once three groups are solved, the fourth is basically done for you anyway.

But let's talk about game #979 specifically now.

The Four Groups in Game #979: A Complete Breakdown

Yellow Group: Words Meaning "To Go Up" or Increase

The yellow group is your entry point into today's puzzle. This is the one that should feel accessible, even if you're not an expert player.

The four words here are UPTICK, HIKE, JUMP, and SPIKE.

The connection? They're all synonyms for an increase or upward movement. You could be talking about stock prices going up, a temperature rise, or just a general uptick in activity. They all convey that same sense of movement in a positive direction.

What makes this group yellow instead of green is that the connection is so straightforward. There's no wordplay, no double meanings, no tricks. It's honest-to-goodness synonyms. The puzzle makers are saying, "Okay, here's your warmup. Here's a freebie."

The reason I'm breaking this out first is because yellow groups are your psychological anchor. Get this one right and you feel capable. That matters more than people realize.

Green Group: Physical Protrusions—The Vocabulary Lesson

Green group words: BUMP, HUMP, LUMP, and MOUND.

Now here's where it gets slightly trickier, but in a really elegant way. These are all words for things that stick out. Protuberances, if you want to get fancy about it. Things that bump up from a surface.

What makes this green instead of yellow is the vocabulary play. Most casual players will see these words and think about their obvious meanings. A bump on your head. A hump on a camel. A lump in your body. A mound of dirt. But the actual connection is more abstract—they're all variations on the same concept: something that protrudes.

The puzzle is testing whether you can see past the common usage and spot the structural similarity. That's the jump from yellow to green difficulty-wise.

Honestly, "protuberance" is such a satisfying word. It sounds ridiculous, it looks ridiculous when you read it, and it's basically never used in actual conversation. But that's exactly why the puzzle makers used it as the connecting theme. It forces you to think about language in a way you don't usually.

Blue Group: Tom Hanks Character Names—The Actor's Filmography

Blue group words: GUMP, PHILLIPS, SULLY, and WOODY.

This is where the puzzle gets cleverly deceptive. These are character names from Tom Hanks films. Not just any Tom Hanks films—these are his most famous, most iconic roles.

GUMP is Forrest Gump from "Forrest Gump." PHILLIPS is Captain James Phillips from "Captain Phillips." SULLY is Chesley Sullenberger from "Sully." WOODY is the cowboy character from "Toy Story."

What makes this tricky is that these words sound like they could be sitcom character names. Think about how many shows have had characters named Spike, Junior, Woody, or similar. Your brain might try to fit them into a different pattern because they feel like character names from network television rather than major Hollywood films.

That's the trap. The puzzle makers know you're thinking about sitcoms. They know you might group these based on a false premise. Getting this right requires either knowing Hanks' filmography or being willing to abandon your initial wrong guess and think differently.

Tom Hanks is one of those actors where his character names have become almost as iconic as the actor himself. GUMP is probably the most famous—it's become shorthand for a certain type of everyman character. That's the kind of clout that gets you a spot in the puzzle.

Purple Group: Words That Come Before "Mint"

Purple group words: BREATH, JUNIOR, PEPPER, and SPEAR.

The connection? They all precede the word "MINT." Breath mint. Junior Mint. Peppermint. Spearmint.

This is the hardest group, and it requires a specific type of knowledge. You need to know that "Peppermint" and "Spearmint" are flavors of mint. You need to know that Junior Mint is a candy bar (a surprisingly good one, actually—I'll defend that to my grave). And you need to connect "Breath" to breath mints, which is common enough.

The trickiness here is that three of these are different types of mint flavors or mint-related products, while one (Junior Mint) is a specific branded candy. Your brain wants to separate those categories. That's the trap.

Purple groups often work this way. They require you to see a pattern that's real but not obvious. It's not about being smart—it's about knowing the specific cultural touchstones or having the patience to work through elimination.

Most people solving this puzzle will get yellow, green, and blue. They'll be stuck on purple. Then they'll either figure out the mint connection or they'll just guess the remaining four words by elimination (which is a totally valid strategy, by the way).

The Yellow Group is rated easier with a difficulty of 2, serving as an entry point, while the Green Group is more challenging with a rating of 4 due to its abstract connection.

Why You Probably Got This Wrong: The Common Mistakes

Let me walk you through where people typically mess up on game #979.

Mistake 1: The Sitcom Trap

Almost everyone initially tries to group SPIKE, WOODY, SULLY, and JUNIOR as sitcom character names. It makes sense! These sound like character names from 1990s network TV. Spike could be from "Buffy." Woody, Sully, and Junior all sound generic enough to be from some show you watched as a kid.

Then you're left with GUMP sitting by itself, which doesn't fit the sitcom pattern at all. That's usually the moment when people realize they're wrong. GUMP is weird. It doesn't belong with those other three in that particular grouping.

That confusion is intentional. The puzzle makers know you'll think sitcom before you think actor filmography. That's why GUMP breaking the pattern is actually the clue that you need to completely rethink your approach.

Mistake 2: Overthinking the Mint Group

Some people get stuck on purple because they're trying too hard. They think: "Well, Peppermint and Spearmint are definitely types of mint. What about the others?"

They'll be confident about those two and stuck on Breath and Junior. They might think Junior means something related to mint that they don't know about. Or they'll think Breath is just too generic to fit with types of mint.

What they're missing is that the pattern isn't "types of mint." The pattern is "words that precede mint." That's subtly different. Once you shift to that framing, it all clicks. Junior Mint, a branded candy, fits perfectly into a category where the organizing principle is "things that go before the word mint."

Mistake 3: Getting Confident Too Early

This is more of a mental game than a logic problem, but it's real. You get yellow and green correct quickly. You feel smart. You're sure about your sitcom grouping. You guess it. It's wrong. Now you're thrown off and the whole puzzle feels harder.

The best players often approach this by being deliberately skeptical of their own instincts. Just because something feels right doesn't mean it is. The puzzle creators are specifically designing these games to play with your expectations.

How to Solve Connections Puzzles More Consistently

If you're playing Connections regularly, you probably want to improve. Here's what actually works.

Step 1: Write Down Everything You See

Don't just look at the board. Physically write or type out all sixteen words. See them fresh. Sometimes the act of transcribing forces your brain to process them differently.

Step 2: Look for the Obvious Connection First

Scan through and think: "Is there anything here where three or four words are unmistakably connected?" Usually there is. Usually it's yellow. That's your starting point.

Step 3: Try to Break Your Own Assumptions

Once you think you have a grouping figured out, ask yourself: "Could these words mean something different?" Could "Junior" be part of a mint-related pattern instead of a sitcom pattern? Could "GUMP" not be part of a sitcom category?

This is where the puzzle makers win. They're betting that your first instinct will be wrong, or at least that you won't question it.

Step 4: Use Elimination Ruthlessly

Once you're confident about one group—and I mean genuinely confident—lock it in. Then look at what's left. Sometimes the remaining words make new patterns obvious that you couldn't see with all sixteen.

Step 5: Know When to Guess

If you have two confident groups and two groups where you're less sure, go ahead and guess. You get four mistakes. Use them. The worst outcome is you lose a round. The best outcome is you discover a connection you didn't see before and learn something about how the puzzle makers think.

The Psychology of Daily Puzzle Games

Connections isn't just a word game—it's a behavioral design masterpiece. And understanding that actually makes you better at playing.

The New York Times knows exactly how long you'll spend on this puzzle on average. They know which groups will cause the most confusion. They've probably tested game #979 with hundreds of people before it went live to make sure it hits the right difficulty curve.

The streak mechanic is addictive by design. Once you've solved it three days in a row, missing one day feels like failure. That's psychological reinforcement at work. It's why you're more likely to spend time on this puzzle than you would on a random crossword.

The difficulty progression is real too. Early games (the low 900s) were probably easier while they were testing the format. By game #979, the puzzle makers have figured out exactly how to trip people up while still keeping it fair.

What keeps people coming back isn't just the intellectual challenge—though that's part of it. It's the ritual. It's the daily refresh. It's knowing that everyone playing today is seeing the same sixteen words. There's a communal aspect to it, even if you're playing alone.

Each group in the puzzle game is designed with a unique theme, evenly distributing focus across synonyms, wordplay, character names, and abstract connections. Estimated data.

Comparing Game #979 to Recent Puzzles

If you've been playing Connections for a while, you might wonder how #979 stacks up difficulty-wise against other recent games.

This particular puzzle is moderately difficult. It's not one of the absolute hardest puzzles the Times has released. But it's definitely not a cakewalk either.

The yellow and green groups are straightforward enough. Most experienced players will nail those immediately. The difficulty spike comes with blue and purple. If you know Tom Hanks' filmography well, blue becomes much easier. If you don't, you might get stuck.

Purple, as always, is the ultimate test. Some days the Times makes the purple group a play on words where the connection is creative and clever. Other days it's just obscure knowledge. Game #979's purple group isn't too obscure—most people know what Junior Mint is or what peppermint is—but it requires you to see the abstract pattern of "words before mint" rather than getting hung up on "types of mint."

Compared to the other games from this same week, #979 is probably in the middle difficulty-wise. Not the hardest, not the easiest. A solid Tuesday or Wednesday puzzle on the difficulty spectrum, even though it's technically on a Saturday (game number doesn't always align with calendar days).

Tom Hanks' Career in Four Words

Since the blue group is about Tom Hanks, let's talk about why he specifically keeps showing up in puzzles like this.

Tom Hanks has been a major movie star for over four decades. That's unusual. Most actors have a peak and then fade. Hanks has had multiple peaks. He's done historical dramas, comedies, animated movies, thrillers—basically everything.

The characters themselves have become iconic. Forrest Gump is probably THE everyman character of American cinema. Toy Story's Woody defined that entire franchise. Captain Phillips and Sully were serious, grown-up roles that proved Hanks could still carry intense dramas into his sixties.

What makes him puzzle-worthy is that his character names are distinctive enough to be recognizable but not so obviously famous that everyone gets them immediately. If the puzzle was about, say, Bruce Willis action heroes, everyone would know it instantly. But Hanks' filmography is broad enough that there's room for genuine difficulty.

Also, Hanks has the kind of cultural weight where using his character names feels like you're referencing something meaningful, not just dropping celebrity trivia.

The Architecture of Daily Puzzle Games

Thinking about Connections makes you realize how carefully constructed these games are. Every word choice matters. Every grouping has to work in specific ways.

Consider the decisions the puzzle makers had to make for game #979:

1. The yellow group: They needed synonyms for "increase." Why these four? Well, UPTICK, HIKE, JUMP, and SPIKE are common enough that most players know them, but they're also varied enough that they don't feel repetitive. You could use RISE instead of HIKE, but then the group feels too straightforward. The puzzle makers want that yellow group to feel like a gimme while still being satisfying.

2. The green group: PROTUBERANCE is the keyword here. Once you know that's the connection, the four words make perfect sense. But before you know it, they're just random-seeming words. The puzzle makers specifically chose words that are commonly used in non-protuberance contexts. BUMP is something you do. HUMP is on a camel. LUMP is in your oatmeal. MOUND is a geography term. The wordplay is hiding in the common usage.

3. The blue group: This required selecting Tom Hanks specifically and selecting four character names that don't obviously sound like they go together. If they'd used JOHN, MARK, JAMES, and WOODY, it would be obvious (first names from different films). Instead, they mixed last names, nicknames, and character names from different genres. That's strategic.

4. The purple group: This is where it gets really strategic. BREATH and JUNIOR are common enough words that people use them daily. But PEPPER and SPEAR are less obvious mint connections. The puzzle makers are betting you'll know PEPPERMINT and SPEARMINT but might not immediately connect them to BREATH (breath mints, which is a category) and JUNIOR (Junior Mint, a specific candy brand). The pattern has to be abstract enough to not be immediately obvious but coherent enough to be satisfying once you see it.

This is the kind of meticulous architecture that goes into every daily puzzle. It's not random. It's not easy. But it's also not unfair.

Estimated data suggests that players often rely on process of elimination and pattern notes equally, with guessing and starting with obvious groups also being common strategies.

Strategies for Players of Different Skill Levels

For Beginners

If you're new to Connections, game #979 is actually a decent teaching example. The yellow group shows you what an easy connection looks like. The green group shows you that words can have multiple meanings and you need to think about them more abstractly. The blue group is harder but rewards knowing pop culture. The purple group rewards patience and elimination.

Don't worry if you don't solve it immediately. The game is designed to be challenging. That's the appeal. You're supposed to spend time with it. Use all four of your allowed mistakes if you need to. Learn from them.

For Intermediate Players

You're probably getting yellow and green consistently. Your challenge is blue and purple. For blue, try thinking about categories beyond "character names." Could these be something about movies? About actors? About specific decades? Once you think about Tom Hanks, it might click.

For purple, try working backwards. If these are four things that share a connection, what could that connection be? Brands? Words that precede something? Common phrases? Write out possible combinations.

For Advanced Players

You're probably getting frustrated when you don't nail the puzzle instantly. Your advantage is that you see patterns quickly. Your disadvantage is that you can overthink it. Trust your instincts, but also trust the process of elimination. Sometimes the puzzle makers will specifically make the harder groups MORE obvious once you eliminate the easier ones. That's intentional design.

Why Wordplay Matters in Modern Puzzles

Connections isn't pure trivia. It's not just about knowing facts. It's about understanding language and how words can have multiple meanings, associations, and uses.

This matters because it makes the game more satisfying when you solve it. If the blue group was just "Tom Hanks characters," that's kind of boring. Anyone who knows movies gets it instantly. But because GUMP and the others could be misinterpreted as sitcom names, the puzzle has a twist. The satisfaction comes from understanding that twist.

Same with purple. If it was just "types of mint," everyone who knows plants gets it. But because JUNIOR and BREATH don't fit that obvious category, there's a mental leap. The pattern is more abstract. Understanding abstract patterns is harder and more rewarding.

This is why the best word puzzles aren't just about knowledge. They're about thinking. They're about making your brain work in unfamiliar ways.

The Community Aspect of Daily Puzzles

One thing people underestimate about games like Connections is the social component. You're not just playing a game. You're joining a daily ritual that millions of people are also doing.

There's something oddly bonding about discussing puzzle solutions with friends. "Oh, I got stuck on the mint one too!" It's a small thing, but it creates connection (pun intended).

The sharing aspect is real too. Some people screenshot their results and share them (while avoiding spoilers for those who haven't solved it yet). That becomes a daily social touchpoint. It's part of what keeps people coming back.

The puzzle is also designed around this. The New York Times knows people will discuss these games. They probably deliberately make some games slightly harder so there will be more people needing to discuss their strategy.

Using elimination is the most effective strategy for solving connections puzzles, while strategic guessing is the least effective. Estimated data based on common puzzle-solving techniques.

Mistakes Even Experienced Players Make

I want to be honest about something: even if you solve Connections most days, game #979 might trip you up. Here's why.

The sitcom trap is genuinely sneaky. We've all watched sitcoms. Our brains are trained to recognize sitcom character names. SPIKE, WOODY, SULLY, and JUNIOR all fit that pattern perfectly. The puzzle makers knew this. They deliberately chose character names that would activate that brain pattern while actually being from major films.

That's not a flaw in game design. That's elegant puzzle design. The best puzzles trick you in ways that feel fair once you understand them.

Even experienced players might spend five minutes trying to think of which sitcom had a character named SULLY before realizing they're thinking about this wrong. That's not a failure. That's the puzzle working as designed.

Improving Your Puzzle Solving Over Time

If you want to get consistently better at Connections, here's what actually works.

Play regularly but not obsessively. If you play once a day, you build pattern recognition without burning out. If you play multiple times, you start second-guessing yourself.

Notice patterns across multiple games. After you've played ten or fifteen games, you'll start seeing how the puzzle makers think. They have favorite types of connections. They use certain tricks repeatedly. Knowing those tricks makes you better.

Learn from mistakes. When you get a group wrong, don't just move on. Think about why you were wrong. What assumption did you make? What pattern did you miss? That reflection is where the learning happens.

Pay attention to language. The better you understand how words can have multiple meanings and associations, the better you'll be at Connections. This isn't just puzzle specific. It makes you better at language generally.

Accept that some days you'll struggle. The puzzle makers calibrate difficulty. Some games are genuinely harder than others. That's okay. The game is designed to be challenging.

The Business of Daily Games

I know this might seem like a tangent, but understanding the business behind Connections actually makes you appreciate the puzzle design more.

The New York Times charges for their games. People pay subscriptions specifically to access Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, and other games. That means the Times has an incentive to make these games good enough that people actually pay for them.

That's a big difference from games that rely on ads or in-app purchases. The Times makes money when people subscribe. They lose money if people stop playing. So the puzzle design matters. It has to be difficult enough to be satisfying, but fair enough to not be frustrating.

That's why these puzzles are well-designed. It's literally someone's job to make sure they're balanced correctly.

Game #979 is evidence of that. It's not too easy. It's not too hard. It's hitting the sweet spot of "challenging but solvable." That's not accident. That's craft.

Estimated data shows a gradual increase in difficulty as the game numbers progress, reflecting the designers' efforts to fine-tune the challenge level.

The Evolution of Word Puzzles in Culture

Connections is part of a larger trend. Word games have become culturally significant in ways they weren't ten years ago.

Wordle exploded in popularity. Spelling Bee has its obsessed fanbase. Quordle pushed things to harder extremes. Connections arrived as the Times' answer to logic puzzles.

These games have become status markers of a sort. People brag about their streaks. They complain about tough days. They discuss strategy like sports fans discussing game tactics.

What's interesting is that these are exactly the kinds of games that could be digital-only, algorithmically generated, infinite. Instead, they're daily, limited, finite. There's only one puzzle per day. Everyone plays the same one. That limitation is what makes them special.

It's almost a return to older forms of play. Before the internet, you had one crossword per day in the newspaper. That was it. You didn't have infinite options. You had one chance. That limitation created investment.

Connections carries that forward. One puzzle. One chance. Sixteen words. Four groups. Maximum stakes for a casual game.

Why Some Groups Feel Harder Than Others

I mentioned this earlier, but let me dig deeper because it matters for how you approach the game.

Yellow groups almost always feel intuitive because they're straightforward synonym or category matching. UPTICK, HIKE, JUMP, SPIKE—these are synonyms. End of story. Your brain processes this quickly.

Green groups introduce a slight twist. Usually it's wordplay or a slightly more abstract connection. The words in the green group might have common definitions that obscure their actual connection. BUMP, HUMP, LUMP, MOUND are connected by the concept of protuberance, but your brain first thinks of them as different things with different meanings.

Blue groups are where the puzzle gets genuinely challenging. These usually involve either:

• Cultural knowledge you might not have (character names from less universally known media)
• Homophones or double meanings
• Patterns that require thinking about the words differently

The GUMP/PHILLIPS/SULLY/WOODY group requires knowing Tom Hanks' filmography, which is cultural knowledge. Not everyone has that knowledge equally.

Purple groups are the hardest because they require multiple things to click simultaneously:

• You need to identify what the pattern IS (words before MINT)
• You need to have the knowledge to complete that pattern (knowing Junior Mint, breath mints, peppermint, spearmint)
• You need to override any false patterns that seem to fit (they could all be types of mint, but they're actually just words that precede mint)

Understanding this hierarchy actually makes you better at the game. You know where to focus your effort.

Common Patterns in Connections Puzzles

After solving enough of these, you start noticing that the puzzle makers use certain patterns repeatedly.

Homophones: Sometimes four words will sound like they mean something else. A famous one was "PIECE/PEACE" type connections.

Category + One Different: Three words might be types of something, and the fourth is something related but different. Like three types of sandwich and one word that goes before "sandwich."

Double Meanings: Words that have two completely different meanings, where the group is about the non-obvious meaning.

Cultural References: Character names, celebrity names, movie titles, song references. If you're in the cultural know, these feel easier.

Word Patterns: Words that precede or follow the same word. Like the mint group—words that precede "mint."

Spelling Tricks: Sometimes it's about how words are spelled, not what they mean.

Understanding that these patterns exist helps you solve new puzzles faster. When you see a group of words that seems random, you can ask yourself: "Which of these known patterns might apply here?"

The Moment When It Clicks

There's a specific moment in solving a Connections puzzle when everything changes. You've been stuck. Nothing makes sense. Then suddenly—boom. You see the pattern. And immediately, the other three words in that group become obvious.

That moment is why people keep playing. That moment of recognition. That little dopamine hit when you understand something you didn't understand thirty seconds ago.

Game #979's moment probably came when you realized these weren't sitcom characters but Tom Hanks films. Once you had that shift, suddenly GUMP made sense with the others. You went from confused to confident instantly.

That's the power of puzzle design. It's not that the puzzle is hard. It's that the puzzle is designed to make that revelation moment as satisfying as possible.

Wrapping Up Game #979

Let me summarize what we've covered:

Game #979 has four groups: words meaning increase (yellow), words for protrusions (green), Tom Hanks character names (blue), and words that precede "mint" (purple).

The trickiest part is usually the blue group because words like GUMP, WOODY, SULLY, and JUNIOR sound like they could be sitcom characters. But they're actually character names from major Tom Hanks films.

The purple group requires knowing the pattern (words before MINT) rather than getting hung up on the obvious "types of mint" category.

Most experienced players will solve yellow and green quickly. Blue and purple are where the puzzle separates casual players from regular players. And that's by design.

The broader lesson here is that Connections isn't testing pure knowledge. It's testing pattern recognition, lateral thinking, and willingness to question your own assumptions. Those are useful skills that extend way beyond word puzzles.

Now go play some more games. You've got this.

Yesterday's Puzzle: Game #978 Breakdown

For context, let's look at the previous day's puzzle. Understanding how yesterday's puzzle worked can sometimes help you approach today's puzzle better.

Game #978's groups were:

Yellow (DOWNRIGHT): PURE, SHEER, STARK, UTTER—all adverbs meaning absolute or complete.

Green (PENNANT): BANNER, COLORS, FLAG, STANDARD—all things that represent groups or teams. Notice how FLAG and STANDARD have double meanings, which makes this slightly trickier than it seems.

Blue (CIGARETTE BRANDS): CAMEL, KENT, PARLIAMENT, SALEM—all cigarette brand names. This is straightforward knowledge-based puzzle, though some people might not immediately think of cigarette brands.

Purple (HOMOPHONES OF WAYS TO GET SMALLER): LESSON (sounds like "lessen"), RESEED (sounds like "recede"), SYNC (sounds like "shrink"), WAYNE (sounds like "wane")—this is the kind of wordplay that makes purple groups special.

Comparing #978 and #979 is interesting because they show different puzzle strategies. #978 relied more on homophones in the purple group. #979 relies more on abstract patterns. The puzzle makers vary their approach to keep things interesting.

Tips for Your Next Puzzle

When game #980 drops (and the ones after that), remember:

1. Start with the most obvious group
2. Don't get too attached to your first theory
3. Use process of elimination ruthlessly
4. Remember that the puzzle makers love tricks involving double meanings and sound-alikes
5. If you're stuck, make a guess. You have four mistakes. Use them.
6. Take notes on patterns you notice. Puzzle makers repeat strategies.
7. Don't stress about purple. Getting 75% is still winning.

The game is designed to be challenging but fair. If you're frustrated, that's normal. If you're confused, that's intentional. The satisfaction comes when you crack the code.

FAQ

What exactly is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is a daily word game from the New York Times where you see sixteen words and need to group them into four sets of four. Each group shares a common theme or connection. The groups are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is easiest, then green, blue, and purple is hardest. You can make up to four mistakes before losing.

How do I solve Connections puzzles more efficiently?

Start by finding the most obvious group first—usually the yellow group with straightforward synonyms or categories. Lock that in. Then work on the second-most obvious group. This approach gives you information through elimination, making the remaining groups easier to spot. Always ask yourself if words could have multiple meanings beyond their obvious definitions, since the puzzle makers love using wordplay and double meanings.

What makes game #979 specifically tricky?

The biggest trap in game #979 is the blue group. Words like GUMP, WOODY, SULLY, and JUNIOR sound like they could be sitcom character names, which is where most players' brains go first. But they're actually character names from major Tom Hanks films. The purple group is tricky because it requires understanding that BREATH, JUNIOR, PEPPER, and SPEAR are words that precede "MINT" rather than assuming they're just types of mint. Once you see those patterns, the groups become obvious.

Why do some Connections groups feel harder than others?

The difficulty progression is intentional. Yellow groups use straightforward synonyms or categories that your brain processes immediately. Green groups introduce wordplay where words have multiple meanings. Blue groups typically require cultural knowledge like knowing character names or celebrity trivia. Purple groups require abstract pattern thinking—like understanding that words precede another word, or that some words are homophones of other words. The further you progress, the more lateral thinking is required.

Should I guess if I'm stuck on Connections?

Yes. You get four mistakes, and the game is designed assuming you'll use them. If you have two confident groups and two uncertain groups, guess on one of the uncertain ones. You'll either get new information that helps, or you'll learn something about how the puzzle makers think. There's no penalty for learning through experimentation.

How can I improve at Connections over time?

Play regularly (once per day is ideal). Notice patterns across multiple games—puzzle makers tend to repeat certain connection types. When you get something wrong, reflect on why you were wrong rather than just moving on. Pay attention to how words can have multiple meanings and associations. Accept that some games will be harder than others due to intentional difficulty calibration by the puzzle makers. The more you play, the better you get at recognizing the thinking patterns behind the puzzles.

What's the difference between Connections and other NYT games?

Wordle focuses on word spelling and letter logic. Spelling Bee challenges you to find words using specific letters. Quordle is a harder version of Wordle. Connections is unique because it's about pattern recognition and understanding relationships between words rather than spelling or letter manipulation. It tests lateral thinking and your ability to see connections that aren't immediately obvious.

How long should it take to solve Connections?

There's no "right" duration. Some experienced players solve it in under five minutes. Others spend fifteen or twenty minutes working through it. The puzzle is designed to feel satisfying regardless of how long it takes. Speed matters less than actually understanding the connections when you solve them. If you're spending more than thirty minutes, you might want to take a hint or just guess and learn from the answers.

Why does NYT Connections update daily instead of offering unlimited puzzles?

The limited daily format is intentional game design. It creates scarcity and ritual—there's only one puzzle per day, and everyone solving that day sees the same puzzle. This builds community and makes the game feel more special. It also means the puzzle makers can carefully calibrate difficulty and quality rather than generating countless puzzles algorithmically. The limitation is actually what makes the game compelling.

Can I get better at Connections if I'm not good at word games?

Absolutely. Connections isn't primarily about vocabulary—it's about pattern recognition and logical thinking. You don't need to know every word; you need to understand how words might relate to each other in unexpected ways. The more you play, the better you get at thinking laterally and questioning your assumptions. Many people who don't consider themselves "word game people" become regular Connections players because the logic puzzle aspect appeals to them more than pure vocabulary knowledge.

Final Thoughts on Game #979

Connections game #979 is a solid representation of what makes this puzzle special. It has straightforward elements (the yellow and green groups), cultural knowledge elements (the blue group), and abstract pattern recognition (the purple group).

The puzzle doesn't require you to be an expert. It requires you to think differently about words you already know. That's elegant design.

Whether you solved it immediately or you're still working through it, you've engaged with something the New York Times spent real time crafting. These puzzles are created by puzzle makers who understand psychology, language, and exactly how to make a pattern-recognition game that's challenging but fair.

So take the satisfaction from solving it, learn from any mistakes you made, and come back tomorrow for game #980. The ritual continues.

And hey—if you didn't solve #979 perfectly, remember that's not failure. That's just the game working as designed. These puzzles are meant to challenge you. The satisfaction comes when you crack the code, which you will. You're smarter than you think.

Keep playing. Keep learning. Keep that streak going. And most importantly, have fun with it. That's what it's all about.

Key Takeaways

• Game #979 has four groups: synonyms for 'increase' (yellow), words for protrusions (green), Tom Hanks character names (blue), and words preceding 'mint' (purple)
• The most common mistake is grouping GUMP, WOODY, SULLY, and JUNIOR as sitcom character names instead of recognizing them as Tom Hanks film characters
• Understanding puzzle mechanics—like how puzzle makers use homophones, double meanings, and false patterns—makes you better at solving future games
• Strategic approach matters more than speed: solve the obvious groups first, lock them in, then use process of elimination for harder groups
• The satisfaction in Connections comes from recognizing abstract patterns and non-obvious connections rather than pure vocabulary knowledge

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