'Connections' December 19: Hints and Answers for Puzzle #557

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Connections is a daily word game published by The New York Times that launched in 2023.

In a short matter of time, it became a hit and was the second most-played puzzle after Wordle.

Below are instructions on how to play and clues to help you solve the game, but the answers appear at the end of the article, so scroll with caution.

How to Play 'Connections'

The categories vary in difficulty from yellow to green to blue to purple, with yellow considered the easiest category and purple the trickiest.

For example, a recent game linked the words "Braid," "Bun," "Pony" and "Twist" under the category: "Ways to wear your hair up." This was a blue category.

Once you have selected four words, you click the "submit" button. If your choices match a category, they will appear in the category color and disappear from the grid. If they are incorrect, however, they will remain gray and stay on the board.

If you are stuck, try selecting the "shuffle" button to move the words to a different place on the grid.

"My top advice is to hold off on guessing as long as you can," Wyna Liu, the game's editor at the Times, previously told Newsweek. "You might spot a clear category and think you see five words that fit, but don't try guessing the four until you're sure which one doesn't belong. Jumping in too soon can cost you a turn."