For fans of the New York Times’ Connections puzzle, today, July 21, 2025, presents puzzle #771 with a fresh set of sixteen words to categorise. This popular word game challenges players to uncover the subtle or obvious relationships between words, grouping them into four distinct sets of four with a shared theme.
Whether you’re aiming to maintain your perfect streak or simply need a nudge to solve today’s unique challenge, you’ve stumbled upon the right guide.
Below, you’ll discover helpful hints designed to guide your deductions, followed by the complete solution for today’s NYT Connections.
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is a popular daily word game from The New York Times. The objective of the game is to sort a grid of 16 seemingly unrelated words into four groups of four, based on hidden common associations.
Here’s a breakdown of how it works:
The grid: You are presented with 16 words in a 4×4 grid.
The goal: Your task is to identify four groups of four words that share a hidden connection or category.
Categories: These connections can be based on various things, such as synonyms, common phrases, linguistic patterns (e.g., words with only one vowel, words ending in a certain letter, Themes and Wordplay.
Difficulty: Each of the four categories is colour-coded by difficulty:
Yellow: Easiest
Green: Medium
Blue: Hard
Purple: Trickiest (often involves more abstract connections or wordplay)
How to play NYT connections:
Connections presents a grid of 16 words. Your objective is to identify four groups of four words that share a hidden connection.
Select Words: Click or tap on four words you believe belong together.
Submit Guess: Once you’ve chosen your four, hit the “Submit” button.
Correct Match: If correct, the words will vanish, revealing their category and color. (Yellow is the easiest, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple as the most challenging.)
Incorrect Match: A wrong guess counts as a mistake. You get up to four mistakes before the game ends.
Win: Solve all four groups to win the puzzle!
Tips for Solving:
Start Simple: Look for the most obvious connections first. These are often the Yellow or Green categories.
Shuffle: Don’t hesitate to use the “Shuffle” button. A new arrangement can sometimes make connections clearer.
Beware of Red Herrings: The game often includes words that could fit into multiple categories to try and trick you. Be sure your chosen four only fit one specific connection.
Think Broadly: Sometimes connections are literal, other times they involve wordplay, synonyms, or things that precede or follow a common word.
NYT Connections July 21, 2025 Hints:
Yellow: Additional perk
Green: Phase transitions for liquids
Blue: Concepts from “Seinfeld”
Purple: What ‘ can indicate
NYT Connections July 21, 2025 Answers:
Additional perk: BONUS, EXTRA, GRAVY, ICING
Phase transitions for liquids: CONDENSATION, FREEZING, MELTING, VAPORIZATION
Concepts from “Seinfeld”: FESTIVUS, REGIFTING, SHRINKAGE, YADA YADA
What ‘ can indicate: CONTRACTION, FOOT, POSSESSIVE, QUOTE