NYT Connections hints and answers today, June 25, 2026

The New York Times continues to keep word puzzle enthusiasts engaged with its daily Connections game, which challenges players to identify four groups of four related words from a grid of 16 seemingly unrelated terms.

While some categories are straightforward, others rely on clever wordplay, hidden meanings or unexpected associations, making the puzzle increasingly tricky. If today's Connections has you stumped, we've got a few spoiler-free hints to help you solve it on your own before revealing the full answers below.

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle from The New York Times in which players must sort 16 words into four groups of four that share a common connection.

The links can be based on synonyms, objects, categories, phrases, pop culture references or clever wordplay. The groups are colour-coded by difficulty, with Yellow being the easiest and Purple the most challenging. Players can make up to four mistakes before the game ends.

NYT Connections hints for June 25

Need a little push? Here are today's spoiler-free hints:

NYT Connections answers for June 25

If you're ready for the solution, here are today's categories and answers.Yellow group – Computer peripherals

Green group – Tightly packed

Blue group – Hazardous elemental metals

Purple group – Starting with bird homophones

Which category was the trickiest today?

The Purple category was the toughest because it required players to recognise bird names hidden in the opening sounds of each word rather than looking for obvious connections. The Blue category could also be challenging for anyone unfamiliar with chemical elements.