MEDIUMPuzzle #771

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#771) – Today's Puzzle, Jul 21

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying ADDITIONAL PERK (BONUS, EXTRA...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: July 21, 2025

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#770, Jul 20)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

Tap any word to see its Connections hint — what it means in today's puzzle, no spoilers.

BONUS hint: In the context of additional perk, "BONUS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

EXTRA hint: In the context of additional perk, "EXTRA" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

GRAVY hint: In the context of additional perk, "GRAVY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ICING hint: In the context of additional perk, "ICING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CONDENSATION hint: In the context of phase transitions for liquids, "CONDENSATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FREEZING hint: In the context of phase transitions for liquids, "FREEZING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MELTING hint: In the context of phase transitions for liquids, "MELTING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

VAPORIZATION hint: In the context of phase transitions for liquids, "VAPORIZATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FESTIVUS hint: In the context of concepts from “seinfeld”, "FESTIVUS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

REGIFTING hint: In the context of concepts from “seinfeld”, "REGIFTING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SHRINKAGE hint: In the context of concepts from “seinfeld”, "SHRINKAGE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

YADA YADA hint: In the context of concepts from “seinfeld”, "YADA YADA" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CONTRACTION hint: In the context of what ' can indicate, "CONTRACTION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FOOT hint: In the context of what ' can indicate, "FOOT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

POSSESSIVE hint: In the context of what ' can indicate, "POSSESSIVE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

QUOTE hint: In the context of what ' can indicate, "QUOTE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

Hints uncovered0 / 16

Today's NYT Connections Hints for All Four Categories

Reveal progressively: see the category hint first, then the group name, then individual words — stop whenever you have enough.

🟡 Straightforward

🟢 Medium

🔵 Hard

🟣 Tricky

⚠️Traps & Misdirects Hints for Today’s Connections Puzzle

Today’s Connections puzzle includes words intentionally placed to misdirect you into wrong groups. These traps and misdirects hints reveal which words are designed to mislead, so you don’t burn your 4 allowed mistakes on deliberate decoys.

CONDENSATION, FREEZING, MELTING, VAPORIZATION

In today's medium category (PHASE TRANSITIONS FOR LIQUIDS), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like CONDENSATION, FREEZING, MELTING, VAPORIZATION may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to PHASE TRANSITIONS FOR LIQUIDS.

CONTRACTION, FOOT, POSSESSIVE, QUOTE

The trickiest grouping today is "WHAT ' CAN INDICATE". Words such as CONTRACTION, FOOT, POSSESSIVE, QUOTE are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

FESTIVUS, REGIFTING, SHRINKAGE, YADA YADA

Be careful with overlap between FESTIVUS, REGIFTING, SHRINKAGE, YADA YADA and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "CONCEPTS FROM “SEINFELD”" to trap unsuspecting players into using up their 4 allowed mistakes.

Today's NYT Connections Answers

Click to reveal the complete solution — all four categories.

Category: ADDITIONAL PERK (Straightforward) — Answers: BONUS, EXTRA, GRAVY, ICING

Category: PHASE TRANSITIONS FOR LIQUIDS (Medium) — Answers: CONDENSATION, FREEZING, MELTING, VAPORIZATION

Category: CONCEPTS FROM “SEINFELD” (Hard) — Answers: FESTIVUS, REGIFTING, SHRINKAGE, YADA YADA

Category: WHAT ' CAN INDICATE (Tricky) — Answers: CONTRACTION, FOOT, POSSESSIVE, QUOTE

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

ADDITIONAL PERK

The words BONUS, EXTRA, GRAVY, ICING all share a unique thematic connection as additional perk.

BONUS

In the context of additional perk, "BONUS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

EXTRA

In the context of additional perk, "EXTRA" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

GRAVY

In the context of additional perk, "GRAVY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ICING

In the context of additional perk, "ICING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PHASE TRANSITIONS FOR LIQUIDS

The words CONDENSATION, FREEZING, MELTING, VAPORIZATION all share a unique thematic connection as phase transitions for liquids.

CONDENSATION

In the context of phase transitions for liquids, "CONDENSATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FREEZING

In the context of phase transitions for liquids, "FREEZING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MELTING

In the context of phase transitions for liquids, "MELTING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

VAPORIZATION

In the context of phase transitions for liquids, "VAPORIZATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CONCEPTS FROM “SEINFELD”

The words FESTIVUS, REGIFTING, SHRINKAGE, YADA YADA all share a unique thematic connection as concepts from “seinfeld”.

FESTIVUS

In the context of concepts from “seinfeld”, "FESTIVUS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

REGIFTING

In the context of concepts from “seinfeld”, "REGIFTING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SHRINKAGE

In the context of concepts from “seinfeld”, "SHRINKAGE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

YADA YADA

In the context of concepts from “seinfeld”, "YADA YADA" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WHAT ' CAN INDICATE

The words CONTRACTION, FOOT, POSSESSIVE, QUOTE all share a unique thematic connection as what ' can indicate.

CONTRACTION

In the context of what ' can indicate, "CONTRACTION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FOOT

In the context of what ' can indicate, "FOOT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

POSSESSIVE

In the context of what ' can indicate, "POSSESSIVE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

QUOTE

In the context of what ' can indicate, "QUOTE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

CONDENSATION, FREEZING, MELTING, VAPORIZATION sit alongside FESTIVUS, REGIFTING, SHRINKAGE, YADA YADA and phrases like CONTRACTION, FOOT, POSSESSIVE, QUOTE — a collision of distinct word groups and subtle misdirects.

The editor's sharpest trick is hiding a word-within-a-word: some of the multi-word phrases are not grouped by their topic but by what their first word secretly means.

How to Use Connections Hints

Everyone playing NYT Connections puzzle gets stuck at a different point. Some players can’t figure out a single word. Others have three groups solved and can’t find the fourth. Where you are stuck determines which connection hint you need.

A word in the puzzle has an unfamiliar meaning

Some words in today’s NYT Connections puzzle are uncommon. Connections editor Wyna Liu often uses words with specific or less familiar meanings, particularly in the green, blue, and purple categories. If you don’t know what a word means, you cannot reliably place it in a group.

Recommendation: Use the Word Hint. It tells you what the word means in the context of today’s puzzle. Tap any word directly on the board above to see its hint.

No groups are forming after reading all sixteen words

The connection between words is often not obvious from their meanings alone — categories are built around themes that require a specific angle to see. These category-level clues are the most useful hints.

Recommendation: Use the Category Hint. It points you toward the theme of a category without revealing the category name or which words belong to it. Tap “Yellow Category Hint” first.

You have a possible group but aren’t ready to guess

You think four words belong together but you’re not confident enough to guess. If you’re unsure, don’t guess yet — a wrong guess costs you one of your four mistakes.

Recommendation: Use the Category Name. It reveals the exact name of the category without showing you which words belong to it.

One word seems to fit more than one group

You have built a group of four words but one word in it could also fit somewhere else. NYT Connections editor Wyna Liu deliberately places misleading words on the board.

Recommendation: Use the Traps and Misdirects Hints. It identifies the specific misleading words in today’s puzzle and explains why they don’t belong where you think they do.

You know the category but can’t find all four words

You have identified the theme of a category but can’t find all four words that belong to it.

Recommendation: Use the Word Reveal. It uncovers one masked word at a time without revealing the full group. This is the most precise connection hint available.

One mistake left with two groups unsolved

You have one mistake remaining and two groups unsolved. If you guess wrong here, the game ends and NYT reveals all the answers automatically.

Recommendation: Do not guess yet. Use the Category Name for both remaining groups first. If that is still not enough, tap “Category Words” and reveal one word at a time.

You want today’s answers without solving the puzzle

Use the Answers section. It shows all four category names and the four words that belong to each one.

Recommendation: Go to the Answers section.

The puzzle is over but a category still doesn’t make sense

You can see the four groups and their words but the connection between them isn’t clear.

Recommendation: Use the Answer Explanation. It tells you exactly what connects the words in each category and why each individual word belongs there.

Browse Past Puzzles

View answers and hints for every previous NYT Connections puzzle.

Puzzle Archive →

Frequently Asked Questions

NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle by The New York Times where you group 16 words into 4 categories of 4 words each. Each category has a hidden theme color-coded by difficulty.

Yellow is the most straightforward category, Green is medium difficulty, Blue is harder, and Purple contains the trickiest, most misleading groupings.

Yes, NYT Connections is free to play once per day on the New York Times Games website.

A new NYT Connections puzzle releases every day at midnight in your local time zone (12:00 AM ET for US Eastern Time).

Naveed Ahmed

@NaveedAhmedDev•@naveedcolab

Lead Writer & Connections Puzzle Analyst

Naveed is a dedicated puzzle strategist and word game analyst who breaks down daily NYT Connections categories, uncovers tricky wordplay patterns, and delivers progressive, spoiler-free clues to help thousands of players solve every puzzle.