This is the answer guide for the Sunday, June 8, 2025 edition of NYT Connections, puzzle #728—not a puzzle for June 8, 2026. If you want to solve it yourself first, use the hints below before opening the full groups.
Hints for Connections #728
- Yellow: These words can describe continuing or remaining.
- Green: Look for four animal names used figuratively in economics or policy.
- Blue: Think of labels in a biographical Wikipedia sidebar.
- Purple: Each word sounds like a slang term for money.
What are the answers for June 8, 2025?
The 16 words sort into these four groups:
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | PERSIST | HOLD, LAST, STAND, STAY |
| Green | ANIMAL METAPHORS IN ECONOMICS | BEAR, BULL, DOVE, HAWK |
| Blue | SIDEBAR INFO ON A PERSON’S WIKIPEDIA PAGE | BORN, EDUCATION, OCCUPATION, SPOUSE |
| Purple | HOMOPHONES OF SLANG FOR MONEY | BRED, CACHE, DOE, LUTE |
Why the words belong together
Yellow: PERSIST
HOLD, LAST, STAND, and STAY can each mean to continue or remain. Their connection is the shared idea of persisting, rather than simply being interchangeable in every context.
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Green: Animal metaphors in economics
BEAR, BULL, DOVE, and HAWK are not grouped as literal animals. They are animal terms used figuratively in financial, economic, or policy contexts.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsBlue: Wikipedia biographical sidebar fields
BORN, EDUCATION, OCCUPATION, and SPOUSE are labels commonly found in the infobox or sidebar of a biographical Wikipedia page. The link is how the words function as profile fields, not a synonym relationship.
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Purple: Homophones of slang for money
BRED sounds like “bread,” CACHE like “cash,” DOE like “dough,” and LUTE like “loot.” The sound-alikes point to slang terms for money; the puzzle uses different spellings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What makes this puzzle tricky
- Literal versus figurative meaning: The green group relies on animal words used as metaphors, not a set of animals to identify literally.
- Labels rather than synonyms: The blue words make sense together as biographical sidebar fields, even though they do not form a conventional synonym set.
- Sound rather than spelling: The purple connection only becomes clear when the words are spoken aloud and matched to money slang.
The answer groups are reported consistently by TechRadar, Parade, and DocumentaryTube.
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