NYT Connections Today – Hints and Answers for Monday, November 18 (Game #526)
Good morning! Let’s play Connections, the NYT’s clever word game that challenges you to group answers into different categories. It can be tricky, so read on if you need pointers.
What should you do when you’re done? Of course, play some word games. I also have daily Wordle Hints and Answers, Strands Hints and Answers and Quordle Hints and Answers articles if you need help with those too.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about today’s NYT Connections is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
NYT Connections Today (Game #526) – Today’s Words
Today’s words from NYT Connections are…
- DOMINO
- DRYER
- FIDDLER
- LADYBIRD
- INTERNET
- HORSESHOE
- SPIDER
- RENT
- HAIR SPRAY
- GAS
- DALMATIAN
- CREST
- TELEPHONE
- HERMIT
- ROLLS
- DIE
NYT Connections Today (Game #526) – Hint #1 – Group Hints
What are some pointers for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- Yellow: You might find them in a hair salon
- Vegetable: Payday fees
- Blue: They are punctual
- Purple: Lateral movers
Need more clues?
We’re firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four themed answers are for today’s NYT Connections puzzles…
NYT Connections Today (Game #526) – Hint #2 – Group Answers
What are the answers for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: USED IN HAIR CARE
- GREEN: MONTHLY COSTS
- BLUE: THINGS WITH STAINS
- PURPLE: ___ CRAB
Okay, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections Today (Game #526) – The Answers
The answers to today’s Connections game, game #526, are…
- YELLOW: USED IN HAIR CARE COMB, DRYER, HAIR SPRAY, ROLLER
- GREEN: MONTHLY COSTS GAS, INTERNET, TELEPHONE, RENT
- BLUE: THINGS WITH STAINS DALMATIAN, DIE, DOMINO, LADYBUG
- PURPLE: ___ CRAB FIDDLER, Hermit, HORSESHOE, SPIDER
- My rating: Moderate
- My score: Perfect
I almost scored a reverse rainbow today, which I’ve only done once before. This is the NYT’s term for when you solve the four Connections groups in reverse order of difficulty – so purple, then blue, then green, then easiest yellow.
Unfortunately (sort of – in reality it doesn’t really matter!) I turned blue first, so that dream died there. But it was strange that my brain initially noticed the two hardest ones and had to work a little harder to solve green and yellow.
Blue was a good one: THINGS WITH SPOTS, with DALMATIAN, DIE, DOMINO and LADYBUG. I always find it helpful to not just look at the words, but also think about them visually. When I did that here, I got the image of a spotty Dalmatian and a domino, and then I looked for others and found them both.
Purple, meanwhile, was one that required some general knowledge. I’ve actually never heard of a FIDDLER CRAB, but I knew HERMIT, SPIDER, and HORSESHOE, and FIDDLER fit the other words better (INTERNET CRAB? HAIRSPRAY CRAB? Obviously not!) so I played that and guessed correctly. Green and Yellow were quite easy on that stage, so I completed today’s stage without any mistakes – a rarity for me.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Sunday, November 17, game #525)
- YELLOW: ALLIANCE ASSOCIATION, GUILD, LEAGUE, UNION
- GREEN: TIGHT FITTING STICKY, TIGHT, SLINKY, SNUG
- BLUE: OCCASIONS WHEN ONE CAN KNEEL Apologies, dubbing, prayer, proposal
- PURPLE: WHAT AN APOSTROPH CAN INDICATE CONTRACTION, FOOT, OWNER, QUOTE
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is one of the New York Times’ increasingly popular word games. It challenges you to find groups of four items that have something in common, and each group has a different level of difficulty: green is easy, yellow is slightly harder, blue is often quite hard, and purple is usually very hard.
On the plus side, you technically don’t have to solve the last question because you can answer it by a process of elimination. Plus, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you some breathing room.
It’s a bit more complicated than something like Wordle, though, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For example, beware of homophones and other word games that can obscure the answers.
It is playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
