MEDIUMPuzzle #934

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#934) – Today's Puzzle, Dec 31

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying HAPPY NEW YEAR! (BALL DROP, CHAMPAGNE FLUTE...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: December 31, 2025

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#933, Dec 30)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

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

BALL DROP hint: In the context of happy new year!, "BALL DROP" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CHAMPAGNE FLUTE hint: In the context of happy new year!, "CHAMPAGNE FLUTE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FIREWORKS hint: In the context of happy new year!, "FIREWORKS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

NOISEMAKER hint: In the context of happy new year!, "NOISEMAKER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BERMUDA TRIANGLE hint: In the context of places where things disappear, "BERMUDA TRIANGLE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BLACK HOLE hint: In the context of places where things disappear, "BLACK HOLE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

COUCH CUSHIONS hint: In the context of places where things disappear, "COUCH CUSHIONS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DRYER hint: In the context of places where things disappear, "DRYER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BROTHERLY LOVE hint: In the context of associated with philadelphia, "BROTHERLY LOVE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CHEESESTEAK hint: In the context of associated with philadelphia, "CHEESESTEAK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LIBERTY BELL hint: In the context of associated with philadelphia, "LIBERTY BELL" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ROCKY hint: In the context of associated with philadelphia, "ROCKY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BAY LEAF hint: In the context of starting with bodies of water, "BAY LEAF" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CHANNEL SURF hint: In the context of starting with bodies of water, "CHANNEL SURF" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SEA BASS hint: In the context of starting with bodies of water, "SEA BASS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SOUND BARRIER hint: In the context of starting with bodies of water, "SOUND BARRIER" 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.

BERMUDA TRIANGLE, BLACK HOLE, COUCH CUSHIONS, DRYER

In today's medium category (PLACES WHERE THINGS DISAPPEAR), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like BERMUDA TRIANGLE, BLACK HOLE, COUCH CUSHIONS, DRYER may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to PLACES WHERE THINGS DISAPPEAR.

BAY LEAF, CHANNEL SURF, SEA BASS, SOUND BARRIER

The trickiest grouping today is "STARTING WITH BODIES OF WATER". Words such as BAY LEAF, CHANNEL SURF, SEA BASS, SOUND BARRIER are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

BROTHERLY LOVE, CHEESESTEAK, LIBERTY BELL, ROCKY

Be careful with overlap between BROTHERLY LOVE, CHEESESTEAK, LIBERTY BELL, ROCKY and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "ASSOCIATED WITH PHILADELPHIA" 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: HAPPY NEW YEAR! (Straightforward) — Answers: BALL DROP, CHAMPAGNE FLUTE, FIREWORKS, NOISEMAKER

Category: PLACES WHERE THINGS DISAPPEAR (Medium) — Answers: BERMUDA TRIANGLE, BLACK HOLE, COUCH CUSHIONS, DRYER

Category: ASSOCIATED WITH PHILADELPHIA (Hard) — Answers: BROTHERLY LOVE, CHEESESTEAK, LIBERTY BELL, ROCKY

Category: STARTING WITH BODIES OF WATER (Tricky) — Answers: BAY LEAF, CHANNEL SURF, SEA BASS, SOUND BARRIER

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The words BALL DROP, CHAMPAGNE FLUTE, FIREWORKS, NOISEMAKER all share a unique thematic connection as happy new year!.

BALL DROP

In the context of happy new year!, "BALL DROP" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CHAMPAGNE FLUTE

In the context of happy new year!, "CHAMPAGNE FLUTE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FIREWORKS

In the context of happy new year!, "FIREWORKS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

NOISEMAKER

In the context of happy new year!, "NOISEMAKER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PLACES WHERE THINGS DISAPPEAR

The words BERMUDA TRIANGLE, BLACK HOLE, COUCH CUSHIONS, DRYER all share a unique thematic connection as places where things disappear.

BERMUDA TRIANGLE

In the context of places where things disappear, "BERMUDA TRIANGLE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BLACK HOLE

In the context of places where things disappear, "BLACK HOLE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

COUCH CUSHIONS

In the context of places where things disappear, "COUCH CUSHIONS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DRYER

In the context of places where things disappear, "DRYER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ASSOCIATED WITH PHILADELPHIA

The words BROTHERLY LOVE, CHEESESTEAK, LIBERTY BELL, ROCKY all share a unique thematic connection as associated with philadelphia.

BROTHERLY LOVE

In the context of associated with philadelphia, "BROTHERLY LOVE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CHEESESTEAK

In the context of associated with philadelphia, "CHEESESTEAK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LIBERTY BELL

In the context of associated with philadelphia, "LIBERTY BELL" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ROCKY

In the context of associated with philadelphia, "ROCKY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STARTING WITH BODIES OF WATER

The words BAY LEAF, CHANNEL SURF, SEA BASS, SOUND BARRIER all share a unique thematic connection as starting with bodies of water.

BAY LEAF

In the context of starting with bodies of water, "BAY LEAF" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CHANNEL SURF

In the context of starting with bodies of water, "CHANNEL SURF" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SEA BASS

In the context of starting with bodies of water, "SEA BASS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SOUND BARRIER

In the context of starting with bodies of water, "SOUND BARRIER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

BERMUDA TRIANGLE, BLACK HOLE, COUCH CUSHIONS, DRYER sit alongside BROTHERLY LOVE, CHEESESTEAK, LIBERTY BELL, ROCKY and phrases like BAY LEAF, CHANNEL SURF, SEA BASS, SOUND BARRIER — 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.