NYT Connections June 18, 2025: Puzzle Recap, Hints, and Answers
Daily NYT Connections puzzle challenges players to group 16 words into four connected sets. Test your vocabulary and solve with hints and strategies!
image for illustrative purpose
The New York Times' hit puzzle game Connections continues to captivate word lovers with its daily mental challenge. Launched in June 2023, the game has quickly become the second-most-played NYT game after Wordle, and for good reason—it tests not just vocabulary, but pattern recognition and creative thinking.
In the June 18 edition of NYT Connections, players faced another challenging set of 16 words to be sorted into four categories of four. Below is a recap of the hints, category themes, and correct answers to help you understand today’s puzzle and improve your strategy for tomorrow.
🧠 What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle game by The New York Times, where players are presented with a grid of 16 words. The task? Group them into four categories based on hidden connections. These connections can involve common traits, themes, or wordplay—sometimes even body parts, synonyms, or cultural references. Created by associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu, it’s designed to be both entertaining and intellectually stimulating.
The game features three difficulty levels and tracks your progress. Sharing attempts and streaks has become a popular trend on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter).
🟨 Hints for June 18, 2025
Yellow – Gloomy weather traits
Green – Dead center synonyms
Blue – All found in pods
Purple – Body parts with one letter changed
🟦 Puzzle Categories & Answers
QUALITIES OF A RAINY DAY (Yellow)
Cold, Gray, Wet, Windy
SQUARELY (Green)
Dead, Exactly, Right, Smack
CONTENTS OF A POD (Blue)
Astronaut, Coffee, Pea, Whale
BODY PART PLUS A STARTING LETTER (Purple)
Barm, Lear, Rankle, Ship
(Wordplay involving altered body parts: Arm → Barm, Ear → Lear, Ankle → Rankle, Hip → Ship)
🕹️ How to Play NYT Connections
Log in to the NYT website or app at midnight to receive a new daily puzzle.
You’ll be presented with 16 seemingly random words.
Group them into four sets of four, each set sharing a hidden connection.
Click “Submit” to lock in a group—be careful! Four wrong guesses ends the game.
Clues may include synonyms, themes, grammar, or wordplay. Difficulty levels are color-coded from Yellow (easy) to Purple (hardest).
Pro Tip: Watch out for words that could belong to multiple categories. Visual rearrangement and focusing on word similarities can help you crack even the toughest Connections.
