The Thursday edition of NYT Connections arrives with puzzle #963, serving up a grid that rewards literary knowledge and wordplay prowess. Today's challenge particularly favors fairy tale enthusiasts and those who can spot sneaky homophones.
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 #963:
GOREY | SILVERSTEIN | GRIZZLY | BEAR
GRIMM | GOLDILOCKS | STAIN | SCARRY
FIBERGLASS | SMUG | BED | LINER
FOUNDATION | STUMBLER | BRONZER | PORRIDGE
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think about what you might find in a makeup bag or vanity.
Green Category Clue: This category requires knowledge of a classic children's story involving three bears and a curious visitor.
Blue Category Hint: Look at the endings of these words - they all share a common suffix related to containers.
Purple Category Teaser: These are homophones for words that describe something violent or harsh.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (Makeup): BRONZER, FOUNDATION, LINER, STAIN
These four words all belong in the cosmetics category. Bronzer, foundation, and liner are standard makeup products, while "stain" refers to lip or cheek stain products.
Green (Featured in Goldilocks and the Three Bears): BEAR, BED, GOLDILOCKS, PORRIDGE
These are all key elements from the classic fairy tale "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." The story features three bears, their beds, Goldilocks herself, and the porridge she samples.
Blue (Ending With Drinking Vessels): FIBERGLASS, SILVERSTEIN, SMUG, STUMBLER
Each word ends with a term for a type of drinking vessel. Fiberglass ends with "glass," Silverstein with "stein," smug with "mug," and stumbler with "tumbler."
Purple (Homophones of Words Meaning "Brutal"): GOREY, GRIMM, GRIZZLY, SCARRY
These are homophones for words describing violence or harshness. Gorey sounds like "gory," Grimm like "grim," Grizzly like "grisly," and Scarry like "scary."
The Verdict
Puzzle #963 registers as moderate difficulty with a clever homophone twist. Yellow falls quickly for anyone familiar with makeup terminology, while green requires basic fairy tale knowledge.
Blue separates the linguistically savvy from casual players with its suffix-based connection. Purple, predictably, is the streak-ender - that homophone trick won't reveal itself without serious lateral thinking.
The real trap lies in words like "BEAR" and "BED" that could mislead solvers into animal or furniture categories, and "STAIN" that could pull toward cleaning or damage themes rather than cosmetics.
Reset and Repeat
Tomorrow's puzzle drops at midnight in your timezone. Until then, reflect on today's performance: did you spot the fairy tale connection or get tripped up by the homophones?
The beauty lies not in perfection but in training your brain to spot these hidden patterns.
For now, puzzle #963 is solved. See you at midnight for round #964.
