NYT Connections Hints & Answers — Saturday, December 16, 2023 (#188)
Puzzle #188. Start with a gentle nudge and work down — the full answers are at the bottom, hidden until you ask for them.
Just tell me the answer
The NYT Connections answer for Saturday, December 16, 2023 (puzzle #188) is: YELLOW — FARM TOOLS: HOE, PLOW, RAKE, SICKLE. GREEN — SCHEME: PLOT, PLOY, RUSE, TRICK. BLUE — MAKE HAPPY: AMUSE, DELIGHT, PLEASE, TICKLE. PURPLE — ONOMATOPOEIA: BANG, PLOP, SPLASH, THUD.
Today's 16 words
The grid exactly as NYT laid it out for Saturday, December 16, 2023. Nothing below this point is spoiled until you open it.
PLOT
PLOP
PLOW
PLOY
TICKLE
SICKLE
TRICK
BANG
RUSE
AMUSE
SPLASH
RAKE
PLEASE
THUD
HOE
DELIGHT
How hard is Connections #188?
Easy40/100
• Lots of very short words, which carry more possible meanings.
Where to start: Every category here is meaning-based, so group by topic first and use the four-per-group constraint to settle any word that could go two ways.
Connections hints for Saturday, December 16, 2023
Four levels, each giving away a little more. Open only as many as you need.
yellow(the most straightforward group — start here) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about tools.
green(a little trickier, but still direct) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — the category is a single word beginning with "S".
blue(where the misdirection usually starts) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about happy.
purple(the wordplay group, and almost always the last to fall) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — the category is a single word beginning with "O".
yellow4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
green4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
blue4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
purple4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
yellowOne member is
greenOne member is
blueOne member is
purpleOne member is
yellow
green
blue
purple
NYT Connections answers for Saturday, December 16, 2023
PuzzlePage is an independent fan site. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The New York Times Company. Connections and Wordle are trademarks of The New York Times Company.
Common questions
What is the NYT Connections answer for Saturday, December 16, 2023?
The NYT Connections answer for Saturday, December 16, 2023 (puzzle #188) is: YELLOW — FARM TOOLS: HOE, PLOW, RAKE, SICKLE. GREEN — SCHEME: PLOT, PLOY, RUSE, TRICK. BLUE — MAKE HAPPY: AMUSE, DELIGHT, PLEASE, TICKLE. PURPLE — ONOMATOPOEIA: BANG, PLOP, SPLASH, THUD.
What is the purple group in Connections #188?
The purple (hardest) group is "ONOMATOPOEIA": BANG, PLOP, SPLASH, THUD.
What is the easiest group in today's Connections puzzle?
The yellow group is the most straightforward: "FARM TOOLS" — HOE, PLOW, RAKE, SICKLE. Solving it first removes four words from the grid.
What number is today's Connections puzzle?
Saturday, December 16, 2023 is NYT Connections puzzle #188. Connections launched on 12 June 2023 with puzzle #1, and a new puzzle is published every day.
What time does a new NYT Connections puzzle come out?
A new Connections puzzle unlocks at midnight in your own local time zone, so the changeover happens at a different moment around the world. The puzzle itself is the same for everyone on a given date.