NYT Crossword Clues and Solutions for May 8, 2025 (Thursday Edition)
Let's dive into the Connections puzzle for May 8, 2025, shall we? I'm here to share some tips, tricks, and strategies to help you crack the code and conquer the puzzle. But be warned, there are spoilers ahead for May 8's NYT Connections #697! Read ahead if you dare to seek some hints (and the answers) to today'sConnections game.
Bookmark this page if you want a quick and easy way to check our daily Connections hints, or catch up on what you missed in previous puzzles.
Below, I've given you a bunch of cryptic hints at today'sConnections answers. Further down the page, you'll find the themes and the bold answers. Take just the hints you need and read slowly!
Hints for the themes of today's Connections puzzle:
- Yellow hint - Verbs for putting your thoughts to paper.
- Green hint - What you might see on the table when you're playing Monopoly.
- Blue hint - Last names of badass characters from action-packed movie series.
- Purple hint - A fill-in-the-blank with a household item that connects to the bedroom.
WARNING: Spoilers Ahead!
Now, let's reveal some of the puzzle's answers. Proceed slowly if you don't want the whole thing spoiled. (The full solution is a bit further down.)
A bit of a heads up about the tricky parts:
- Paper and pens aren't a pair – one's a verb, the other a noun.
- Candle and Wick aren't a pair either – remember, Wick is a dude's last name (played by Keanu Reeves in one of his flicks).
- Dice and Chop don't go together – Dice are game rolls, while Chop is related to cutting or slicing something.
What are the categories of today's Connections?
- Yellow: Jot down your ideas with COMMIT TO PAPER (words are: AUTHOR, COMPOSE, PEN, WRITE)
- Green: THINGS FOR WHEN YOU PLAY CLUE (words are: CANDLESTICK, MONEY, NOTEPAD, PISTOL)
- Blue: BADASS MOVIE DUDES WITH LAST NAMES (words are: BOND, JONES, OCEAN, SINERA)
- Purple: HOUSEHOLD ITEMS CONNECTED TO BED (words are: ALARM, BRUSH, GLOVE, PILLOW)
DOUBLE WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
Are you ready to uncover the answers to today's Connections puzzle? I'm about to give them all away below.
What are the yellow words in today's Connections?
The yellow grouping includes:* AUTHOR: A writer of books, stories, and other written works.* COMPOSE: To write, create, or put together something.* PEN: A writing instrument, or a verb meaning to write something.* WRITE: To create written work or record something.
What are the green words in today's Connections?
The green grouping includes:* CANDLESTICK: A holder for candles.* MONEY: Currency in any form (coins or paper bills).* NOTEPAD: A small, bound notebook for writing notes.* PISTOL: A small, handheld gun.
What are the blue words in today's Connections?
The blue grouping includes:* BOND: The code name of the iconic British agent, James Bond.* JONES: The last name of the main character Lara Croft, from the Tomb Raider series.* OCEAN: The surname of the protagonist in the Ocean's Eleven/Twelve/Thirteen trilogy, Danny Ocean.* SINERA: The last name of the character Hobbs in the Fast & Furious movie franchise, played by Dwayne Johnson.
What are the purple words in today's Connections?
The purple grouping includes:* ALARM: A device that makes loud noise to warn about something, like a fire or an intrusion.* BRUSH: An item for cleaning or applying something, such as hair or paint.* GLOVE: A piece of clothing that covers the hand, used for various purposes like gardening, driving or decoration.* PILLOW: A cushion for the head or body when sleeping.
How I cracked the code on today's Connections:
It looks like PEN, PENCIL, COMPOSE, AUTHOR, and WRITE could all be related to doing some writing. However, I'll hold off on eliminating one, just in case.
BOND, OCEAN, and SINERA are badass characters from popular movies with last names starting with the letter B, J, or O.
WICK and CANDLESTICK seem like a good pairing, as they both involve fire, but where's the connection to theothers? I'm stuck on that one.
PISTOL, NOTEPAD, MONEY, and CANDLESTICK seem like they'd be parts of a game or a set, but I can't think of a common connection there. Let's try throwing around some ideas...
Okay, I'll give PEN, AUTHOR, COMPOSE, and WRITE a shot. 🟨
I think I'll try adding JONES to the list of badass characters, and see if that gets me anywhere. 🟦 Wow! I wasn't expecting that to work. Huh, I never guessed that Lara Croft was part of this mix.
PISTOL, NOTEPAD, MONEY, and CANDLESTICK seem like they could be items related to detective work ... or maybe it's a puzzle game! C'mon, I never said this stuff was easy. Let me give it some thought…
Alright, let's see – if they're all connected to a board or table game, that leaves ALARM, BRUSH, GLOVE, and PILLOW. I don't see it, but they all have something in common...
... Ah, the common thread is that they're all suitable items for bedrooms! They might be strange connections, but I'll go with it: ALARM clock, BRUSH your teeth before bed,putting on your GLOVE, and using a PILLOW to sleep.
How to play Connections:Need a refresher on the rules ofConnections? Check out our guide to playing Connections for all the details!
To play, find the Connections puzzle on the New York Times website or in the New York Times app (formerly the Crossword app). You'll see a game board with 16 tiles, each with one word or phrase. You have to select a group of four tiles that have something in common. Often they are all the same type of thing (such as: books, animals, or inventions), but sometimes there is wordplay involved (for example, MILLION, DROOL, CEREAL, and MUMMIFYing things).
Select four tiles that belong to the same group and hit the Submit button. If you've correctly identified the grouping, the category and color will be revealed. If you're wrong,you'll be given another chance to try again.
Keep guessing until you've discovered all four groupings, but be careful! Make four mistakes, and the game will end, and you'll be left with the answers!
How to win Connections:
- Remember that the groupings inConnections are designed to be tricky. Be prepared for overlapping groups.
- If you're stuck, try to focus on the words that seem most out of place. they might help you to decipher the rest of the puzzle.
- Don't rush! Take your time reading the puzzle, thinking about strategies, and approaching potential solutions with an open mind. Happy solving!
[1]https://www.nytimes.com/games/words/help/connections.html#!/What-are-the-Connections%3F
[2]https://www.ugurustuner.com/2018/04/11/nyt-connections-solution-2018-04-11
[3]https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/blog/2013/jan/18/new-york-times-friday-crossword-213-answers-and-hints
The Final Word:
Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the next Connections puzzle! Happy solving, and may your pencils never run dry!
Enrichment Data:
- Overall: For today's NYT Connections puzzle on May 8, the categories are:
- Yellow: Verbs for writing or recording ideas.
- Green: Items found on a game board.
- Blue: Last names of iconic film characters.
- Purple: Household items used in the bedroom.
- Connections: Each grouping within the puzzle is designed to help players connect the various words.
- Wordplay: Some connections are thematic, such as having similar meanings or representing things within the same category. Others involve wordplay, where the connections between the words can be a bit more abstract.
- Strategies: To successfully solve the puzzle, players should read each word carefully, consider the theme or category of each grouping, and think creatively about the connections between the words. Players can also use outside knowledge and familiarity with the NYT's puzzle style, along with an understanding of common language and wordplay, to help them make connections and puzzle through the clues.
- The yellow grouping includes: AUTHOR, a writer of books, stories, and other written works, COMPOSE, to write, create, or put together something, PEN, a writing instrument, or a verb meaning to write something, and WRITE, to create written work or record something.
- The green grouping includes: CANDLESTICK, a holder for candles, MONEY, currency in any form (coins or paper bills), NOTEPAD, a small, bound notebook for writing notes, and PISTOL, a small, handheld gun.
- The blue grouping includes: BOND, the code name of the iconic British agent, James Bond, JONES, the last name of the main character Lara Croft, from the Tomb Raider series, OCEAN, the surname of the protagonist in the Ocean's Eleven/Twelve/Thirteen trilogy, Danny Ocean, and SINERA, the last name of the character Hobbs in the Fast & Furious movie franchise, played by Dwayne Johnson.
- The purple grouping includes: ALARM, a device that makes loud noise to warn about something, like a fire or an intrusion, BRUSH, an item for cleaning or applying something, such as hair or paint, GLOVE, a piece of clothing that covers the hand, used for various purposes like gardening, driving or decoration, and PILLOW, a cushion for the head or body when sleeping.
- To play the entertainment-based Connections game, find the puzzle on the New York Times website, select a group of four tiles that have something in common, such as items found on a game board or last names of iconic film characters, and submit your answer if correct, the category and color will be revealed, keep guessing until you've discovered all groupings, but be careful as four mistakes will end the game, leaving you with the answers!
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