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This is the solution to the Thursday, May 29, 2025 NYT Connections puzzle, game #718. The year matters: May 29 falls on different puzzle dates in other years. If you want to solve it yourself, start with the hints below; the full groups and words follow.
Hints for Connections #718
- Yellow: Think of ways to show approval or respect.
- Green: These words can describe something appropriate or well-suited.
- Blue: What might you do to add a finish to a donut?
- Purple: Each word can connect to a different meaning of “buff.”
What are the answers for May 29?
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Salute | APPLAUD, HAIL, HONOR, PRAISE |
| Green | Suitable | APT, FIT, PROPER, RIGHT |
| Blue | Verbs for finishing donuts | FROST, GLAZE, POWDER, SPRINKLE |
| Purple | What “buff” might mean | ENTHUSIAST, MUSCULAR, NUDE, POLISH |
Why the blue and purple groups are tricky
Blue: verbs for finishing donuts
FROST, POWDER, and SPRINKLE can initially suggest snow or winter weather. GLAZE shifts the set toward baking: all four are verbs for adding a finish to a donut.
Purple: meanings of “buff”
The purple set relies on different senses of “buff”: an enthusiast, muscular, nude, and polish. The connection is not a single shared topic; it is the word “buff” linking each clue in a different way.
How Connections works
Connections presents 16 words and asks players to sort them into four groups of four. The New York Times says each group is assigned one of four colors, from yellow as the easiest to purple as the trickiest; each puzzle has one solution, and editors curate words and categories using the Oxford Dictionary. The daily puzzle releases at midnight in the player’s timezone. See the NYT Connections rules and access details.
#1 Best Overall
Where to play this puzzle or find the archive
The New York Times lists its Games app, nytimes.com/games/connections, nytimes.com/theathletic, and the News app as places to play. Its archive goes back to June 12, 2023, and is available to All Access and Games subscribers, according to the NYT Help Center. The archive is distinct from the daily puzzle; check the stated subscription eligibility if you want to revisit an older game.
Quick Recap
Rank #2
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