NYT Connections puzzle #681 for Tuesday, April 22, 2025, groups words about canceling a project, pottery studios, slippery things, and natural sources of heat. Start with the spoiler-safe hints below; the full categories and answers are farther down.
Hints for Connections #681
Try these clues before revealing the answers. They move from broad nudges to more direct descriptions.
![Word Games Puzzles Book/Decode the Message – 4 Pack [Paperback] Penny Press/Dell Magazines](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51VZGQMVuBL._SL160_.jpg)
- Halt.
- Making china pots.
- Slide away.
- Hot, hot, hot.
How the tricky words fit
ICE and FIRE can look like a tempting pair, but they belong to different groups in this puzzle. EEL fits the slippery-things category, while LIGHTNING belongs with natural producers of heat. TechRadar’s writer described considering ICE and FIRE together and initially trying EEL in an electricity-related set; that is one reporter’s account, not a measure of how players generally approached the board.
Spoiler: the full answers
Stop here if you still want to solve the puzzle yourself.
#1 Best Overall
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | CANCEL, AS A PROJECT | AXE, CUT, DROP, SCRAP |
| Green | SEEN IN A POTTERY STUDIO | CLAY, GLAZE, KILN, WHEEL |
| Blue | THINGS THAT ARE SLIPPERY | BANANA PEEL, EEL, GREASE, ICE |
| Purple | NATURAL PRODUCERS OF HEAT | FIRE, LIGHTNING, SUN, VOLCANO |
The categories and groupings are reported by TechRadar and corroborated by ComicBook.com.
How to play Connections and find the archive
Connections asks players to divide 16 words into four groups of four based on a shared link. The daily puzzle offers four difficulty colors, and players can make up to four mistakes. The New York Times Help Center says daily play is free without registration and is available in the Games app, at NYTimes.com Games, at NYTimes.com/theathletic, and in the News app. The daily puzzle releases at midnight in the player’s timezone.
Rank #2
The full Connections archive is available to All Access and Games subscribers. Playing archived puzzles can affect some statistics but does not affect streaks, and completed archive puzzles cannot be replayed. These access details reflect the Help Center’s information as checked October 8, 2026. See the NYT Connections Help Center article for current details.
Quick Recap
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