NYT Connections: clues and solutions for Thursday, May 8

      Connections is among the top puzzle games from the New York Times. The objective of the game is to categorize a set of 16 words into four hidden groups by discerning how the words are interconnected. Every night at midnight, the puzzle resets, and each new puzzle presents a different level of difficulty. Similar to Wordle, you can track your winning streak and compare scores with friends.

      Some days present more challenges than others, much like other NYT Games favorites, The Mini and Strands. If you’re finding today’s puzzle a bit difficult, check out our guide on Connections tips and tricks for helpful strategies or see the hints for today’s Connections puzzle below. If you're still unable to solve it, we’ll provide the answers at the end.

      **How to play Connections**

      Connections is a daily game focused on identifying common links among words. Players are required to select four groups of four words while making no more than three errors. Play now. https://t.co/YITfSnqODb pic.twitter.com/CqObVOqeUs

      — The New York Times (@nytimes) November 3, 2024

      You can enjoy Connections on the New York Times website or via the NYT Games app, available on iOS and Android.

      In Connections, a grid with 16 words is displayed, and your goal is to sort these words into four sets of four by discovering the connections between them. These sets might include themes such as video game series titles, book sequel series, shades of red, names of chain restaurants, and more.

      Typically, some words may seem to fit into multiple categories, but there is only one answer that is entirely correct. You can shuffle the grid and rearrange the words to better see possible connections.

      Each group is distinguished by color: the yellow group is the simplest to identify, followed by green, blue, and purple groups.

      Select four words and press Submit. If your selection is correct, the words will be removed from the grid, and the theme that connects them will be disclosed. A wrong guess will count as a mistake. You are permitted only four mistakes before the game concludes.

      **Hints for today’s Connections**

      We can assist you in solving today’s Connection by providing you with the four themes. If you require additional help, we will also share one word from each group below.

      **Today’s themes**

      - COMMIT TO PAPER

      - NEEDS FOR PLAYING YAHTZEE

      - HEROES OF ACTION MOVIE FRANCHISES

      - ___ STICK

      **One-answer reveals**

      - COMMIT TO PAPER – AUTHOR

      - NEEDS FOR PLAYING YAHTZEE – CUP

      - HEROES OF ACTION MOVIE FRANCHISES – BOND

      - ___ STICK – CANDLE

      **New York Times**

      **Today’s Connections answers**

      Still having trouble? That’s perfectly fine. This puzzle is intended to be challenging. If you simply want to see today’s Connections answer, we’ve listed it below:

      - COMMIT TO PAPER – AUTHOR, COMPOSE, PEN, WRITE

      - NEEDS FOR PLAYING YAHTZEE – CUP, DICE, PENCIL, SCORECARD

      - HEROES OF ACTION MOVIE FRANCHISES – BOND, JONES, OCEAN, WICK

      - ___ STICK – CANDLE, CHOP, JOY, YARD

      Connections grids are diverse and refresh daily. If you couldn’t solve today’s puzzle, make sure to come back tomorrow.

      **NYT Connection FAQs**

      **What time does the Connections puzzle change?**

      The puzzle updates daily at midnight local time.

      **Who edits the NYT Connections game?**

      Wyna Liu, who has been editing puzzles for The New York Times since 2020, edits Connections each day. Liu discussed her role, mentioning, "A few months ago, a new assignment crossed my desk: Create the game boards for Connections, a category matching game that had recently been approved and needed an editor." She expressed her enthusiasm for this new challenge compared to her previous crossword experience.

      On the one-year anniversary of Connections' launch earlier this year, Liu shared a TikTok highlighting her favorite puzzles thus far:

      @thegamesteam ? happy one year anniversary to connections, our newest official NYT game ? #nytgames #nytconnections #nyt ♬ The Kite Live by Luisa Marion – luisa_marion_music