NYT Connections Answers: If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to solve a crossword written by a newsroom editor on deadline after three cups of coffee — and then have it hijacked by a dog lover with a mischievous streak — today’s New York Times Connections puzzle (June 6, #725) is basically that.
Once again, the wildly addictive daily word game from the New York Times flexes its semantic muscles by throwing together 16 words that appear deceptively unrelated, only to reveal quirky connections. And if today’s grid left you second-guessing whether “Shadowboxer” belonged next to “Editor” or “Snickerdoodle,” you’re not alone.
Here’s what went down in today’s mind-masher of a puzzle.
Newsroom Roles Get Their Spotlight
The Yellow category — considered the easiest group — was all about media mavens. The four words grouped here were Columnist, Editor, Photographer, and Reporter.
They all scream “newsroom chaos” and belong to the theme: Newspaper Jobs. A clear nod to the ink-stained wretches of journalism, this grouping was perhaps the most straightforward of the lot.
Nothing Out Of The Ordinary Here
Next came the Green set: Common, Regular, Routine, and Standard. The clue here? “There’s nothing ‘out of the ordinary’ in this group.” Fittingly so, since these four words are all synonyms, pointing to the everyday and unremarkable. This theme was simply titled: Everyday.
No surprises there — unless you tried putting “Common” with “Columnist” just because both start with a ‘C’. (Don’t worry, we did too.)
“Con” Artists in Blue
The Blue group got trickier. These words — Convention, Criminal, Drawback, and Swindle — were grouped under the clever theme: What “Con” Might Mean.
It’s a subtle flex of the puzzle’s double-meaning game. Each word can carry the “con” prefix either literally or in spirit — whether you’re talking about a scam (Swindle), an event (Convention), or a sneaky downside (Drawback).
Doggone Wordplay in Purple
And then came the curveball: the Purple group, aka the hardest one. The clue asked you to “look closely within these words,” with an extra hint that the shortest one here had nine letters.
The theme? Ending With Kinds Of Dogs.
The words: Newshound, Shadowboxer, Snickerdoodle, and Trendsetter. You read that right. Each ends with a type of dog — Hound, Boxer, Poodle (hidden in Snickerdoodle), and Setter.
It’s the kind of group that either makes you laugh or cry, depending on how long you stare at “Trendsetter” trying to make it fit with “Routine.”
The Final Answer
To recap, here are today’s four Connections groups for Friday, June 6:
- Yellow: Newspaper Jobs (Columnist, Editor, Photographer, Reporter)
- Green: Everyday (Common, Regular, Routine, Standard)
- Blue: What “Con” Might Mean (Convention, Criminal, Drawback, Swindle)
- Purple: Ending With Kinds Of Dogs (Newshound, Shadowboxer, Snickerdoodle, Trendsetter)
As the NYT warns, the puzzle is designed with “deceptive red herring connections” to throw players off. And today’s challenge definitely brought the chaos, with a side of dog treats and deadlines.
You can play the Connections puzzle here. Just remember: even if you get it wrong, at least you’re not being swindled by a snickerdoodle.
