Many different themes surround today's Connections puzzle, making it difficult to interpret compared to previous word collections. That being said, I found that some patterns are easier to spot than you may expect, but only if you know where to look. You'll have to use every hint at your disposal to get a good idea of what pairings lead to correct answers in today's puzzle.

If there had to be a theme for today's puzzle, it would likely be locations and features, which should encourage you to think of the visual context behind various words. Similar to the NYT Letter Boxed game, you need to find only the slightest hint of a pattern to bring today's Connections puzzle together. As you start forming correct groups, it will narrow your options to make things much easier.

Today's Connections Category Hints

May 19 #708

I managed to solve today's puzzle by not following the strict definition of words within it, but rather the many contexts they would be used for. For example, rather than using the phrase BALL as a physical object, I thought of it in the context of a grand celebration, with dancing and fine dining. With only four chances to make a mistake in these puzzles, you have to recognize all the ways different could be used.

For those struggling to find the categories behind today's puzzle, try following these hints to start forming some ideas:

• One category is about things related to locations for large, formal gatherings.
• One category is about things related to places you would occupy in a popular board game.
• One category is about things related to the physical features of a very large ocean animal.
• One category is about things related to words that sound like parts of the body responsible for walking.

If you want to go all out with some of your clue-searching, you should look at the category names to get some extra help. There are also spoilers for each category if you find yourself needing to solve a single category to finish up.

Today's Connections Answers

May 19 #708

Yellow Answers: Revealed & Explained

This was the first section of the puzzle I solved, as I recognized how a BALL or GALA both refer to fancy events with of the upper class. Similarly, many rich people go to a BENEFIT to seem charitable, or to a FUNCTION with a cause for the same reason. With these ideas in my mind, I put these four words together to come up with the first correct category.

Green Answers: Revealed & Explained

At first, I put RAILROAD and AVENUE together because they sounded like locations you would find in a city area. However, upon further reflection, I realized that no other parts of the puzzle used specific location like those, but the game Monopoly did. I ed that UTILITY and CHANCE spaces were part of the game of Monopoly with different functions, while RAILROAD and AVENUE spaces were property you can buy.

Blue Answers: Revealed & Explained

This was a very hard section of the puzzle for me, as I had no idea what FLUKE or MELON could refer to. That being said, I did put BLUBBER and FLIPPER together, as I thought they were in reference to parts of a seal or walrus animal. When looking up what a FLUKE was, though, I recongized how it was a part of a whale, with a MELON also belonging to the same category for the answer.

Purple Answers: Revealed & Explained

Whenever I do these puzzles, I always say the words aloud to see if any sound similar. With that in mind, I saw how SOUL, HEAL, and TOW all sounded very close to "sole," "heel," and "toe" respectively, all referencing parts of a foot. While I initially thought BAWL and BLUBBER were paired as for crying, I saw how BAWL also sounds like "ball," which refers to the balls of one's feet.

Other Games Like Connections

If you are looking for another puzzle to play, check out one of the ones in the box below.