The Wednesday edition of NYT Connections arrives with puzzle #955, serving up a grid that rewards both environmental awareness and pop culture knowledge. Today's challenge particularly favors recyclers and comic book fans who can spot the subtle connections between seemingly unrelated terms.
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 #955:
THROW | CRIB | COPY | NEWSPAPER
PIRATE | CAVE | BOTTLE | MOBILE
BLANKET | CAN | LIFT | SIGNAL
SHAM | SUIT | CARDBOARD BOX | SHEET
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories, ranging from household items to intellectual property violations.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think about what you might separate from your regular trash for environmental reasons.
Green Category Clue: These are all items you'd find in a well-made bed, though one might be decorative rather than functional.
Blue Category Hint: These words all describe ways to take something that isn't yours, particularly in creative or intellectual contexts.
Purple Category Teaser: Gotham's protector has a collection of these, each prefixed with "Bat" to create his iconic arsenal and infrastructure.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (Items to Recycle): BOTTLE, CAN, CARDBOARD BOX, NEWSPAPER
These four represent common household items that municipalities typically accept in recycling programs.
The inclusion of "CARDBOARD BOX" rather than just "BOX" helps clarify the recycling connection, while "NEWSPAPER" serves as the classic paper recycling example.
Green (Bedding): BLANKET, SHAM, SHEET, THROW
This category covers various types of bed coverings and accessories.
"SHAM" refers to a decorative pillow cover, "THROW" is a smaller blanket often used decoratively, while "BLANKET" and "SHEET" are standard bedding components.
Blue (Plagiarize): COPY, CRIB, LIFT, PIRATE
All four terms describe forms of intellectual theft or unauthorized copying.
"CRIB" and "LIFT" are more colloquial terms for stealing ideas, while "PIRATE" specifically refers to copyright infringement, and "COPY" is the most direct term for duplication.
Purple (Batman's "Bat" Things): CAVE, MOBILE, SIGNAL, SUIT
These items all become Batman-related when prefixed with "Bat": Batcave, Batmobile, Batsignal, and Batsuit.
The category cleverly requires solvers to think about the Dark Knight's iconic equipment and infrastructure rather than the literal meanings of the words.
The Verdict
Puzzle #955 registers as moderate difficulty with a clever pop culture twist.
Yellow falls quickly for anyone who separates their recyclables, while green requires thinking about bedroom decor rather than just sleeping arrangements.
Blue separates those familiar with academic integrity terminology from casual observers.
Purple, predictably, is the streak-ender - the Batman connection won't reveal itself without serious comic book knowledge or lateral thinking about what all these items have in common.
The real trap lies in words like "THROW" and "SHEET," which could easily be mistaken for other categories.
"THROW" might connect with sports or actions, while "SHEET" could pair with paper or music, but both belong firmly in the bedding group.
Reset and Repeat
Tomorrow's puzzle drops at midnight in your timezone.
Until then, reflect on today's performance: did you spot the recycling theme immediately, or did Batman's gear catch you off guard?
The beauty lies not in perfection but in training your brain to spot these hidden patterns.
For now, puzzle #955 is solved.
See you at midnight for round #956.
