Recommended reading

NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, May 15 (game #704)

News
By Contributions from published

My clues will help you solve the NYT's Connections puzzle today and keep that streak going

NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
(Image credit: New York Times)
Jump to:
Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Wednesday, May 14 (game #703).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #704) - today's words

NYT Connections hints for game 704 on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

  • FLUTE
  • MADRID
  • GROUNDS
  • ICE
  • ESTATE
  • POWDER
  • SEVILLE
  • FOUNDATION
  • BUTTERFLY
  • WORLD
  • REASON
  • CRUST
  • SLUSH
  • BASIS
  • BESS
  • DEAL

NYT Connections today (game #704) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: Trust the process
  • GREEN: It covers mountains
  • BLUE: Partial names of famous scores 
  • PURPLE: Precede with word that rhymes with “meal”

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #704) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: RATIONALE 
  • GREEN: TYPES OF SNOW 
  • BLUE: LAST WORDS OF FAMOUS OPERA TITLES 
  • PURPLE: REAL ___ 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #704) - the answers

NYT Connections answers for game 704 on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #704, are…

  • YELLOW: RATIONALE BASIS, FOUNDATION, GROUNDS, REASON
  • GREEN: TYPES OF SNOW CRUST, ICE, POWDER, SLUSH
  • BLUE: LAST WORDS OF FAMOUS OPERA TITLES BESS, BUTTERFLY, FLUTE, SEVILLE
  • PURPLE: REAL ___ DEAL, ESTATE, MADRID, WORLD
  • My rating: Moderate
  • My score: 1 mistake

Seeing two Spanish cities in the grid of 16 words immediately threw me and it wasn’t until the final two groups that I dismissed the possibility of them being part of the same group – even though the Connections spider senses knew that they weren’t.

For RATIONALE, I thought we were looking for construction terms, but I was happy to get the right four words regardless.

TYPES OF SNOW was easier, but I will admit that although I knew SEVILLE, BUTTERFLY and FLUTE were all LAST WORDS OF FAMOUS OPERA TITLES (Barber of Seville, Madame Butterfly and Magic Flute) I wasn’t thinking about Porgy when I added BESS.

I am annoyed that I didn’t get REAL ____, especially as it included Spanish football team Real Madrid – the REAL in their case meaning Royal rather than genuine.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, May 14, game #703)

  • YELLOW: ABSORB USING CAPILLARY ACTION DRAW, PULL, SUCK, WICK
  • GREEN: GREEK PREFIXES HYPER, KILO, META, NEO
  • BLUE: TITULAR TALKING ANIMALS OF FILM BABE, BOLT, DUMBO, TED
  • PURPLE: STARTING WITH SILENT LETTERS GNOME, KNEE, MNEMONIC, PSYCHE

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Johnny Dee
Contributor

Johnny is a freelance pop culture journalist who has been writing about the internet, music, football and famous people since the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. Previously known by the pseudonym the Pop Detective, his journalistic career began making up stories about Madonna's addiction to sausage rolls (this is not true by the way). A man of few talents, his career is rich and various and includes the highs of interviewing Elton John and Blur; and the lows of interviewing Right Said Fred, appearing on a Channel 5 documentary about Peter Kay, and fact-checking the instruction manual for a German cooker. Somehow still affording to live in North London he is at his happiest riding his bicycle and shouting at pigeons.

With contributions from

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.