Today’s NYT Connections Hints and Answers for Sunday, December 14

Looking for help with today’s New York Times Connections puzzle? If Connections #916 has you stumped, you’re not alone. The daily word game is known for its tricky associations and clever red herrings, making even one correct group feel like a win.

Below, you’ll find easy-to-follow hints, an explanation of how the game works, and the full solution for Sunday, December 14, 2025.

How to Play NYT Connections

Connections is a daily word puzzle from the New York Times, the same publisher behind Wordle. Players are given 16 words and must divide them into four groups of four, with each group sharing a common theme.

Some connections are obvious, while others are designed to mislead. Players are allowed three mistakes—on the fourth incorrect guess, the game ends and the answers are revealed.

Each group is also colour-coded by difficulty:

Yellow: Easiest

Green: Easy

Blue: Medium

Purple: Hardest

Today’s Connections Words (December 14)

DUCKLING, NAPOLEON, PRINCESS, BABE

CALF, CHALK, COLONEL, EMPEROR

FAWN, FLATTER, GUSH, MERMAID

PIGLET, PORKY, PRAISE, WOULD

NYT Connections Hints for Sunday, December 14

Need a nudge in the right direction? Try these clues before scrolling further:

• Yellow: “You’re the best!”
• Green: Characters commonly found in classic fairy tales
• Blue: Something you can’t hear
• Purple: They belong to the same species

Extra hints:

“Colonel” and “Emperor” do not belong to the same group

There are eight fictional characters in today’s puzzle

Still stuck? Here’s one word from each group:

• Yellow: Praise
• Green: Duckling
• Blue: Would
• Purple: Napoleon

Today’s NYT Connections Groups

If you want a bigger clue, here are the themes for each group in today’s puzzle:

• Yellow: Lay It On Thick
• Green: Hans Christian Andersen Characters
• Blue: Words With a Silent “L”
• Purple: Fictional Pigs

NYT Connections Answers for December 14, 2025

Here are the correct groupings for today’s Connections puzzle:

• Yellow – Lay It On Thick: Fawn, Flatter, Gush, Praise
• Green – Hans Christian Andersen Characters: Duckling, Emperor, Mermaid, Princess
• Blue – Silent “L”: Calf, Chalk, Colonel, Would
• Purple – Fictional Pigs: Babe, Napoleon, Piglet, Porky

With so many animals and fairy-tale figures in play, today’s puzzle was full of clever misdirection. Many players initially tried grouping words by “animals” versus “people,” only to realise that wasn’t the final answer. Spotting the praise-related words or the silent-letter pattern often made the rest of the grid fall into place.

Check back tomorrow for more NYT Connections hints and answers to help you keep your winning streak alive.