Thursdays' New York Times Crossword Clues and Answers for May 8, 2025 (Reorganized)
Revamped Guide:
Hey there, erstwhile sleuth! Today's riddle is the Connections puzzle for May 8, 2025. I'm here to guide you through the clues and unveil the riddles' secrets. But beware, there are spoilers below for May 8, NYT Connections #697! So, read on at your own risk, if you desire some hints (and then the solutions) to today's Connections game.
Bookmark this page for quick access to our daily Connections hints! You'll also find solutions to previous puzzles on this page.
Now, prepare yourself for some oblique hints for this intriguing Connections game. Further along, you'll find the themes, as well as the answers revealed. Proceed slowly and only take the hints you need!
Hints for the themes in today's Connections:
- Yellow Category: Scribes' tools and actions.
- Green Category: Items for a timeless board game night.
- Blue Category: Tough-as-nails cinema characters.
- Purple Category: Common objects with a stick attached.
BEWARE: Spoilers follow for today's Connections puzzle!
Brace yourself, as we're about to divulge some of the answers. Proceed slowly if you don't want the whole puzzle spoiled. (The full solution is a bit further down.)
A word about the trickier parts:
- PEN and PENCIL do not belong together. PEN can function as a verb.
- WICK and CANDLE do not belong together. WICK is the last name of a character played by Keanu Reeves.
- DICE and CHOP do not belong together. DICE refers to the components used in a board game.
What are the categories in today's Connections?
- Yellow: COMMIT
- Green: YAHTZEE ESSENTIALS
- Blue: ACTION MOVIE LEGENDS
- Purple: _____ STICK
DOUBLE BEWARE: THE SOLUTION IS BELOW
Do you want the answers to today's Connections puzzle? Then keep reading.
What are the yellow words in today's Connections?
The yellow grouping is highly straightforward. The category for today's yellow group is COMMIT, and the words are: AUTHOR, COMPOSE, PEN, WRITE.
What are the green words in today's Connections?
The green grouping is somewhat easy. The category for today's green category is YAHTZEE ESSENTIALS, and the words are: CUP, DICE, PENCIL, SCORECARD.
What are the blue words in today's Connections?
The blue grouping is moderately tough. The category for today's blue category is ACTION MOVIE LEGENDS, and the words are: BOND, JONES, OCEAN, WICK.
What are the purple words in today's Connections?
The purple grouping is the most challenging. The category for today's purple category is _____ STICK, and the words are: CANDLE, CHOP, JOY, YARD.
How I solved today's Connections:
It seems that PEN, PENCIL, COMPOSE, AUTHOR, and WRITE could all belong within a category of writing tools or actions. I might eliminate PENCIL, but I'll wait and see if it's necessary.
BOND, OCEAN, and WICK could readily be the last names of action movie protagonists: James BOND, Danny OCEAN, and John WICK.
WICK and CANDLE appear to pair logically, but I cannot think of a connection with another word.
CHOP and DICE could go together as culinary techniques, but I struggle to see other connections.
I haven't made much progress, so I'll try combining PEN, AUTHOR, COMPOSE, and WRITE first. 🟨 Let's proceed.
I think I'll try adding JONES to the OCEAN, BOND, and WICK category to see if that leads anywhere. 🟦 Wow, that's not what I expected! Of course, JONES is Indiana JONES.
DICE, SCORECARD, and PENCIL appear to be components for a board game, with CUP being the missing piece. Let's check. 🟩 Yes!
Now, that leaves JOY, CANDLE, YARD, and CHOP. This feels like a fill-in-the-blank. Aha, they all fit the phrase '____ STICK.' 🟪
How to play Connections:
You can find the Connections game either on the New York Times website or in their Games app (formerly the Crossword app). You'll see a game board with 16 squares, with a phrase or a word in each one. Your aim is to select four squares that share a common thread within the puzzle. Usually, they are all types of the same thing, (like SNOW, SLEET, HAIL, and RAIN are all types of wet weather), but there can be wordplay involved too (like BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH are all types of lists).
Select four items and hit the Submit button. If you guessed correctly, the category and color will be revealed. (Yellow is the easiest color, followed by green, then blue, then purple.) If your guess was incorrect, you'll get the opportunity to try again.
You'll be victorious when you've correctly identified all four groups. However, if you make four mistakes prior to finishing, the game will end, and the answers will be revealed.
How to Win Connections:
The primary secret to winning Connections is recognizing that groupings are intentionally designed to be tricky. Expect overlapping categories. For example, one puzzle seemed to include six breakfast foods: BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. Yet, BACON turned out to be part of the group of painters, along with CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, and EGG was in a category of things that come by the dozen (along with JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). So, don't press "submit" until you've established that your group of four contains only those four square's content.
If you're uncertain, another approach is examining the squares that appear to have no connection to the other words. If all that comes to your mind when you see WHISTLER is the painting titled "Whistler's Mother," you might be onto something. When I solved that, I found myself googling whether there was a painter named Close, as Close didn't seem to fit any of the apparent categories.
Another strategy to win when you're stuck is, evidently, to read a few helpful hints—which is why we'll share these pointers every day. Check back tomorrow for the next puzzle!
- The New York Times Connections answer for May 8, 2025, in the entertainment category is John WICK.
- In the lifestyle category, common objects with a stick attached include a CANDLE and a JOY STICK.
- For education and self-development, scribes' tools and actions can be found in a Connections answer like AUTHOR, PEN, and WRITE.
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