NYT Connections today — my hints and answers for Thursday, January 2 (game #571)

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 clues.

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 #571) – today’s words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today’s NYT Connections words are…

TIME
CLOCK
DONUT
PADDLE
TIRED
MONTH
BEAT
REGISTER
CATCH
TAG
INCH
DAYS
METER
JUROR
NOTICE
RHYTHM

NYT Connections today (game #571) – hint #1 – group hints

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

YELLOW: Observation
GREEN: Tempo
BLUE: They come in dozens
PURPLE: Add an animal

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 #571) – hint #2 – group answers

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

YELLOW: PERCEIVE 
GREEN: CADENCE
BLUE: ONE IN A GROUP OF TWELVE 
PURPLE: DOG __ 

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

NYT Connections today (game #571) – the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today’s Connections, game #571, are…

YELLOW: PERCEIVE CATCH, CLOCK, NOTICE, REGISTER
GREEN: CADENCE BEAT, METER, RHYTHM, TIME
BLUE: ONE IN A GROUP OF TWELVE DONUT, INCH, JUROR, MONTH
PURPLE: DOG __ DAYS, PADDLE, TAG, TIRED

My rating: Moderate
My score: 1 mistake

I took a guess today that BEAT, METER, RHYTHM and TIME were a group, thinking that drumming was the connection and so it proved.

Despite being slow on the uptake, I landed the Yellow group next and was happy to have sidestepped the TIME, CLOCK, DAYS trap.

There was no brushing off imaginary dust from my shoulders, though, as I failed to see both ONE IN A GROUP OF TWELVE and DOG __ and got home through the sheer luck of shuffling the remain eight words until I got a quartet that looked kind of OK.

When it comes to Connections I’ll take any win I can get.

Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, 1 January, game #570)

YELLOW: SLIMY ANIMALS EARTHWORM, EEL, SALAMANDER, SLUG
GREEN: THINGS THAT LUMINESCE AURORA, FIREFLY, GLOWSTICK, RADIUM
BLUE: DUTCH SYMBOLS CANAL, CLOG, TULIP, WINDMILL
PURPLE: ENDING WITH SYNONYMS FOR “PLUNGE” GATECRASH, RAINDROP, SKYDIVE, WATERFALL

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.