The NYT Connections puzzle for Sunday, March 23, 2025, is here—and it’s a clever mix of logic, vocabulary, and pattern recognition. Whether you’re playing with your morning coffee or winding down your day, this brain teaser is the perfect challenge to stretch your thinking. Below, you’ll find today’s Connections hints, answers, and solving strategies to help sharpen your skills.
How to Play NYT Connections
Each day, players are presented with 16 seemingly unrelated words. The goal is to sort them into four groups of four, where each group shares a common theme.
You can make up to four mistakes before the puzzle ends.
The four categories increase in difficulty:
Yellow – Easy
Green – Medium
Blue – Hard
Purple – Tricky or wordplay-based
Now, let’s get into the clues for today’s puzzle.
Hints for Today’s NYT Connections – March 23, 2025
Need a little nudge without giving it away? Here are some tailored hints:
Yellow Hint: Words that capture attention or deeply engage someone.
Green Hint: Things you associate with wings—both literal and metaphorical.
Blue Hint: Words you often hear paired with “watch.”
Purple Hint: Words repeated in a classic children’s rhyme.
Today’s NYT Connections Answers – Puzzle #651
Here are the solutions for March 23’s puzzle:
Yellow (Captivate):
Absorb, Entrance, Grab, RivetGreen (Things with Wings):
Airplane, Fairy, Fly, HospitalBlue (Words that Modify “Watch”):
Pocket, Smart, Stop, WristPurple (Words Repeated in “Miss Mary Mack”):
Back, Black, Buttons, Mack
How many did you get right? If this one tripped you up, don’t worry—every puzzle helps build sharper pattern recognition.
Strategies to Solve NYT Connections
Looking to boost your success rate? Try these tips:
Start with the easiest group. Yellow words tend to stand out as straightforward.
Think of compound words or phrases. Can “pocket” or “wrist” be paired with something common?
Look for double meanings. Many words can belong to more than one category.
Don’t second-guess too early. Try forming a few test groups and see what feels solid.
Use process of elimination. If one group feels obvious, lock it in and reduce clutter.
The more puzzles you complete, the more intuitive the patterns will become.