The Saturday edition of NYT Connections arrives with puzzle #965, serving up a grid that rewards social event knowledge and creative thinking. Today's challenge particularly favors party planners and those who can spot sneaky homophone connections.
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 #965:
DRESS | WISHBONE | ROLLER | BALL
SHOWER | STETHOSCOPE | BRUSH | MIXER
SLINGSHOT | SPRAY CAN | RECEPTION | COMPUTER KEY
FLUCTUATION | TUNING FORK | WORK PERIOD | PALETTE KNIFE
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think about different types of social gatherings where people celebrate milestones.
Green Category Clue: Consider the tools artists use to transfer color from palette to canvas.
Blue Category Hint: Look for objects that share a distinctive forked or branching shape.
Purple Category Teaser: This category requires thinking about the multiple meanings of a single word that can shift contexts.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (Kinds of parties): BALL, MIXER, RECEPTION, SHOWER
These four words represent distinct types of social gatherings. A ball is a formal dance event, a mixer facilitates social interaction, a reception typically follows a wedding or ceremony, and a shower celebrates upcoming life events like babies or weddings.
Green (Ways to apply paint): BRUSH, PALETTE KNIFE, ROLLER, SPRAY CAN
Each term describes a different method for transferring paint onto a surface. Brushes offer precision, palette knives create texture, rollers cover large areas quickly, and spray cans provide even coating and special effects.
Blue (Y-shaped things): SLINGSHOT, STETHOSCOPE, TUNING FORK, WISHBONE
These objects all share the distinctive Y-shaped form. Slingshots have a Y-shaped frame, stethoscopes feature a Y-shaped tubing system, tuning forks are Y-shaped acoustic resonators, and wishbones are the forked clavicle bones of birds.
Purple (What "shift" might refer to): COMPUTER KEY, DRESS, FLUCTUATION, WORK PERIOD
This clever category plays on the multiple meanings of "shift." A shift key modifies computer input, a shift dress is a simple garment, a shift can mean fluctuation or change, and a work shift defines a scheduled period of employment.
The Verdict
Puzzle #965 registers as moderate difficulty with a clever linguistic twist. Yellow falls quickly for anyone who recognizes social event terminology, while green requires thinking about artistic tools and techniques.
Blue separates those who notice physical shapes from those who don't. Purple, predictably, is the streak-ender - that homographic "shift" connection won't reveal itself without serious lateral thinking about word meanings.
The real trap lies in words like "DRESS" and "WORK PERIOD" that could easily fit other categories - dress might seem clothing-related, and work period could connect to time or employment themes, but they belong to the clever "shift" category instead.
Reset and Repeat
Tomorrow's puzzle drops at midnight in your timezone. Until then, reflect on today's performance: did you spot the Y-shaped objects immediately, or did the "shift" category catch you off guard?
The beauty lies not in perfection but in training your brain to spot these hidden patterns.
For now, puzzle #965 is solved. See you at midnight for round #966.
