The Thursday edition of NYT Connections arrives with puzzle #949, serving up a grid that rewards both practical knowledge and linguistic dexterity. Today's challenge particularly favors gardeners, wordplay enthusiasts, and those who can spot clever name-based constructions.
What Makes Connections Tick
For newcomers, NYT Connections presents 16 words that must be sorted into four thematic groups of four. The twist?
You're limited to four mistakes, and the color-coded difficulty system (yellow being easiest, purple being trickiest) means surface-level connections often mislead.
Since its June 2023 launch, Connections has carved out its niche in the Times' puzzle ecosystem, standing alongside Wordle and the crossword as a daily ritual for millions of players worldwide. The game's genius lies in its red herrings, words that could fit multiple categories but belong in only one.
Today's Grid at a Glance
Here are the 16 words staring back at you in puzzle #949:
CEREAL | STATIC | MELTED | SNOW
LEVITATE | SALT | PATRON | SHOVEL
HOSE | STATIONARY | SPADE | JACKAL
FROZEN | RAKE | DANDRUFF | STILL
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think about what you'd find in a well-equipped garden shed.
Green Category Clue: These words all describe a complete lack of motion or change.
Blue Category Hint: Consider what might appear in small, flat pieces or particles.
Purple Category Teaser: Each word can be broken down into two common male first names.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (Gardening Tools): HOSE, RAKE, SHOVEL, SPADE
The most straightforward category for anyone with basic gardening knowledge. These four implements form the core toolkit for maintaining outdoor spaces, from watering to soil work.
Green (Unmoving): FROZEN, STATIC, STATIONARY, STILL
A clean synonym cluster describing complete absence of motion. "Frozen" might initially suggest temperature rather than movement, but its inclusion here emphasizes immobility.
Blue (Things That Come in Flakes): CEREAL, DANDRUFF, SALT, SNOW
This category connects items that typically appear in small, flat pieces. "Dandruff" is the trickiest inclusion, requiring solvers to think beyond breakfast and seasoning.
Purple (Words Formed by Two Men's Names): JACKAL, LEVITATE, MELTED, PATRON
The puzzle's cleverest construction: JACK + AL, LEVI + TATE, MEL + TED, PAT + RON. This category separates casual solvers from those who can deconstruct words into name components.
The Verdict
Puzzle #949 registers as moderate difficulty with a clever linguistic twist. Yellow falls quickly for anyone who recognizes basic gardening equipment, while green requires thinking about synonyms for stillness.
Blue separates those who think literally about flakes from those stuck on breakfast foods. Purple, predictably, is the streak-ender - the name construction pattern won't reveal itself without serious word deconstruction skills.
The real trap lies in words like "MELTED" and "FROZEN," which could suggest temperature categories, and "SALT" and "SNOW," which might lead solvers toward weather or seasoning themes instead of their flake-based connection.
Reset and Repeat
Tomorrow's puzzle drops at midnight in your timezone. Until then, reflect on today's performance: did you spot the gardening tools immediately, or did the flake category throw you off?
The beauty lies not in perfection but in training your brain to spot these hidden patterns.
For now, puzzle #949 is solved. See you at midnight for round #950.
