NYT Connections Hints for May 12: Full Guide, Tips, and Solutions

If you're working through the New York Times Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for May 12 and finding it a bit tricky, don't worry, we've got you covered. The game mechanics, advice for tackling the challenge, useful tips geared to today's themes, and the official solutions are all fully detailed here.

What is  NYT Connections Sports Edition? 

The Connections puzzle is a daily challenge featured by The New York Times, offering a fresh twist on word-based gameplay. Unlike Wordle, which requires you to guess a single word, Connections tasks players with sorting 16 random words into four distinct groups of four, each based on a hidden commonality.

These groupings can range from general categories like food, animals, or pop culture, to very specific themes like sports terms or sound-alike names. What makes the game especially challenging is that many words can fit into more than one possible category, leading to potential misdirection.

Each group's challenge is colour-coded:   

Yellow: The easiest category, usually quite obvious.

Green: Slightly more difficult, requiring some thought.

Blue: Harder and more nuanced connections. 

Purple: The most difficult, often involving puns or phonetic clues.

How To Play the NYT Connections

To begin, visit the New York Times Games section either through the app or online platform. 16 words are shown in a 4x4 grid in a random arrangement. Your goal is to tap four words that share a meaningful link and submit them as a group.

If you're correct, the group will lock in. You have only four incorrect attempts before the game ends, so each guess counts. The challenge lies in identifying the actual categories while avoiding misleading groupings.

Tips on How to Win the NYT Connections

Say the words out loud: It can help you hear connections you may not see, especially with homophones. 

Spot the trends: Think in terms of themes-sports moves, team names, mascots, stats, etc.

Watch out for overlaps: A word might seem to fit multiple categories but belongs to only one.

 Use elimination: As you narrow down correct groups, the remaining words start to form their own logic.

NYT Connections May 12 Categories

Here's a breakdown of today's categories and the correct groupings:

Yellow - places to find paper money

Green - rebound

Blue  - things tracked by web analytics

Purple  - things you can do with your lips

NYT Connections May 12 Hints 

Yellow  - There is money in here

Green - People who quickly start dating again after a breakup.

Blue - Some alternatives might be a bit... inappropriate, so let's keep it classy.

Purple - Your lips can do these actions.

NYT Connections May 12 Answers

Places to find paper money: ATM, CASH REGISTER, TIP JAR, WALLET

Rebound BANK, BOUNCE, CAROM, RICOCHET

Things tracked by web analytics: CLICK, HIT, PAGE VIEW, VISIT

Things you can do with your lips: CURL, PUCKER, PURSE, SMACK

With practice and a bit of lateral thinking, you'll get better at cracking even the trickiest Connections puzzles. Ready for tomorrow's challenge?

Read more: NYT Connections Hints, May 9: Full Breakdown, Clues, How to Play and Answers