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These are the hints and answers for NYT Connections puzzle #745, published Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Start with the spoiler-safe clues below, then continue to see the category names and full word groups.
Spoiler-free hints for Connections #745
Each group contains four words linked by a shared idea. The clues below identify the themes without giving away the words:
- Yellow: Cheese varieties.
- Green: Items you might find at a beverage self-service station.
- Blue: Hand tools used in woodworking.
- Purple: Bird names with their final letter removed.
Connections #745 category answers
- Yellow — Kinds of cheeses: BLUE, GOAT, JACK, SWISS.
- Green — Beverage self-service items: CUP, LID, NAPKIN, STRAW.
- Blue — Woodworking hand tools: CHISEL, PLANE, RASP, SAW.
- Purple — Birds missing their last letter: CRAN, FLAMING, HERO, RAVE.
Full June 25, 2025 Connections grid
The complete board, in alphabetical order, is BLUE, CHISEL, CRAN, CUP, FLAMING, GOAT, HERO, JACK, LID, NAPKIN, PLANE, RASP, RAVE, SAW, STRAW, SWISS.
Why the purple group is tricky
Add the missing final letters back to the purple entries and they become CRANE, FLAMINGO, HERON, and RAVEN. There is also a tempting berry pattern: CRAN, STRAW, RASP, and BLUE resemble the starts of cranberry, strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry. Those four are a decoy, not a valid group.
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How the color groups work
Connections presents 16 words to be sorted into four groups of four. NYT Games Help Center says, “Each puzzle has exactly one solution and is meant to be tricky by having words that could fit into multiple categories.” The color sequence runs from yellow, generally the most direct connection, through green and blue to purple, which is often the most wordplay-heavy.
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