Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Need a nudge on NYT Connections game #661? Start with the spoiler-free hints below, then open the clearly labeled answer key when you’re ready. This archived puzzle was published Wednesday, April 2, 2025; Connections releases a new board at midnight in each time zone, so the date can refer to different puzzles depending on when and where you play.
Hints for Connections #661
Try to find the four groups before reading the answer key. Each hint points toward a category without naming all four words.
- Yellow: Think of a sudden idea, whim, or spontaneous activity.
- Green: Look for words meaning a kind or classification.
- Blue: These share the surname Williams.
- Purple: Each word becomes a proper noun whose pronunciation differs from its ordinary-word pronunciation.
Answers for Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Spoilers below: the complete categories and their four words follow.
Yellow — Caprice
FANCY, IMPULSE, LARK, WHIM. Each can describe a sudden or fanciful impulse.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
#1 Best Overall
Green — Ilk
KIND, LIKE, SORT, TYPE. Each can refer to a category or type.
Blue — Williamses
HANK, ROBIN, TENNESSEE, VENUS. Each is the name of a person with the surname Williams.
Rank #2
Purple — Words pronounced differently as proper nouns
HERB, JOB, NICE, READING. Read as proper nouns, these are a person named Herb, the biblical figure Job, the French city Nice, and a place named Reading. Their proper-noun pronunciations differ from the ordinary-word readings.
Why the purple group is easy to miss
The board invites overlapping interpretations: a word may appear to fit a plausible everyday category even though its intended connection depends on reading it as a name or place. Here, the proper-noun readings bring HERB, JOB, NICE, and READING together. Shuffling the board can help expose relationships that are harder to spot when the words remain in their original positions.
How Connections mistakes work
Connections asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four. A wrong guess costs a life; after four mistakes, the game is over. If you want to preserve attempts, test whether a possible group has exactly four members and check for words that could belong to a different category before submitting.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
