NYT Connections hints and answers for today (May 20, 2025)

Another day, another brain teaser! The New York Times ’ Connections puzzle for May 20, 2025 , brings with it a fresh set of words to group, challenge your logic, and test your ability to spot patterns. Whether you’re a seasoned solver on a streak or a curious newcomer looking for your first perfect game, today’s hints and answers are here to guide you. As always, the trick lies in recognizing subtle links—and avoiding a few cleverly placed red herrings. If you're stuck or just want to double-check your guesses, you’ll find everything you need below to crack today’s puzzle.


What is NYT Connections
Connections is a daily word puzzle game from The New York Times, joining popular games like Wordle and Spelling Bee. Each day, players are given 16 seemingly unrelated words. The challenge is to organize them into four groups of four based on shared themes or connections. These connections could be as straightforward as “types of fruit” or as tricky as “words that precede ‘bed.’” It’s a game of deduction, wordplay, and pattern recognition that quickly gained a dedicated following.


How to play NYT Connections

Visit the NYT Games website or open the NYT Games app.

You’ll see a grid of 16 words.

Group the words into four sets of four that share a common theme.

Submit your guess. If you’re right, the group locks in.

You have four chances to make mistakes—after that, it’s game over.

Each group is color-coded by difficulty:

Yellow: easiest
Green: moderate
Blue: challenging
Purple: most difficult, often involving wordplay


Hints for today’s Connections
Need a nudge before seeing the full answers? Here are category clues to help you group the words:

Yellow group — Keep a record of income and expenditures
Green group — sights that are common in barns
Blue group — detectives loved by kids
Purple group — Words that come before “bed”


Today’s categories
If you’re trying to sort the puzzle without being spoiled by actual words, here’s a look at today’s four group themes:

• Account Book
• Seen in a Barn
• Detectives of Kid-Lit
• Words Before “Bed”

Today’s Connections answers
Here’s how today’s 16 words break down into their correct groupings:
Account Book
LEDGER, LOG, RECORD, REGISTER
Seen in a Barn
BALE, HORSE, PITCHFORK, TROUGH
Detectives of Kid-Lit
BROWN, DREW, HARDY, HOLMES
Words Before “Bed”
CANOPY, DAY, MURPHY, WATER

Today’s puzzle was satisfying to solve, especially once the trickier purple category clicked into place. While a few words—like HOLMES, HARDY, and MURPHY—might have tempted you down the “famous actors” path, the real trick was thinking more literally and contextually. If you managed a perfect score, congrats! If not, there’s always tomorrow. Check back daily for more hints, or join a community of puzzle fans online to swap strategies and streak stories.