Spoiler warning: Hints come first; the full categories and answers follow. This is the historical NYT Connections puzzle #680 from Monday, April 21, 2025—not the live puzzle for today.
Hints for Connections #680
Use these clues to narrow down the four groups before checking the answer key.
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- Yellow: Look at information printed on food packaging, especially nutrition facts.
- Green: Think of expressions for an unexpected event, revelation, or complication.
- Blue: Think of familiar spreadsheet parts or things you can insert into one.
- Purple: Look for objects or forms with a spiral or helical shape.
Answers for Monday, April 21
The 16 words in the puzzle were CELL, IRON, TWIST, SHEET, SPRING, WRENCH, PROTEIN, CORKSCREW, DNA, CURVEBALL, COLUMN, SODIUM, BOMBSHELL, ROW, FAT, and FUSILLI.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Info on a nutrition label | FAT, IRON, PROTEIN, SODIUM |
| Green | Metaphor for something unexpected | BOMBSHELL, CURVEBALL, TWIST, WRENCH |
| Blue | Things you can insert into a spreadsheet | CELL, COLUMN, ROW, SHEET |
| Purple | Helical things | CORKSCREW, DNA, FUSILLI, SPRING |
Why the trickiest words fit
IRON belongs with nutrition facts
IRON can suggest a material or an object, but alongside FAT, PROTEIN, and SODIUM it points to a nutrient listed on food packaging.
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WRENCH is figurative here
BOMBSHELL, CURVEBALL, TWIST, and WRENCH can all describe an unexpected development or disruption. WRENCH evokes the expression “throw a wrench in the works”; it is not grouped as a literal tool.
Keep spreadsheet terms separate from helical forms
CELL, COLUMN, ROW, and SHEET are spreadsheet vocabulary. CORKSCREW, DNA, FUSILLI, and SPRING share a helical form. Although TWIST, CURVEBALL, and SPRING can suggest turning or movement, those associations do not make them one group.
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Rank #3
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