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Spoiler warning: This guide covers the New York Times Connections puzzle for Wednesday, March 5, 2025, game #633. Start with the hint ladder, then open the group names and complete answer sets only when you are ready.
The March 5, 2025 Connections grid
Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to divide them into four groups of four. The words in this puzzle, in the order reported by Forbes and TechRadar, are:
- BITE
- ONION
- SOFT
- KICK
- PICKLE
- SKIRT
- ALLERGY
- RELIEF
- PAINT
- DODGE
- EDGE
- CLIP
- BORDER
- FILE
- MELODRAMA
- FRINGE
Spoiler-safe hints
Stop at any level if you want to keep solving without seeing the complete solution.
Yellow hint
Think about locations on the outside or at the limits of something.
#1 Best Overall
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Green hint
These are actions people perform on their fingernails.
Blue hint
Each can be something that makes tears come to your eyes.
Rank #2
- 5-in-1 USB-C Hub: Experience comprehensive connectivity featuring a Power Delivery input, two USB-A 2.0 ports, a USB-A 3.0 port, and an HDMI port. (Note: The USB-C power delivery input port is only for connecting an external wall charger to power your laptop and cannot power peripheral devices.)
- 90W Pass-Through Charging: Achieve optimal charging with 90W pass-through power to your laptop, supported by a total input of 100W, with the hub reserving 10W for operational efficiency. (Note: Wall charger not included.)
- Quick Data Transfers: Accelerate your productivity with rapid data transfers using a high-speed 5Gbps USB 3.0 port and two 480Mbps USB 2.0 ports.
- 4K HDMI Display: Enhance your visual experience with a hub capable of delivering 4K resolution at 30Hz in both mirror and extend modes. Please note that this hub is compatible with MacBook (macOS 12 and newer), Windows 10 and 11, ChromeOS, and laptops equipped with DP Alt Mode and Power Delivery. Note: This device is not compatible with Linux.
- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (5-in-1, 4K HDMI), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
Purple hint
Add a word that rhymes with “wall” to form names of recreational sports.
The Tool Desk
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The published solution has exactly four groups:
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | PERIPHERY | BORDER, EDGE, FRINGE, SKIRT |
| Green | THINGS PEOPLE DO TO FINGERNAILS | BITE, CLIP, FILE, PAINT |
| Blue | WHAT MIGHT BRING TEARS TO YOUR EYES | ALLERGY, MELODRAMA, ONION, RELIEF |
| Purple | ___BALL RECREATIONAL SPORTS | DODGE, KICK, PICKLE, SOFT |
Why PAINT belongs in the fingernail group
“Paintball” is a natural association, so PAINT can pull attention toward the purple category. In the official published grouping, however, PAINT goes with BITE, CLIP and FILE as things people do to fingernails. The four “___ball” entries are DODGE, KICK, PICKLE and SOFT.
Rank #3
- Sleek 7-in-1 USB-C Hub: Features an HDMI port, two USB-A 3.0 ports, and a USB-C data port, each providing 5Gbps transfer speeds. It also includes a USB-C PD input port for charging up to 100W and dual SD and TF card slots, all in a compact design.
- Flawless 4K@60Hz Video with HDMI: Delivers exceptional clarity and smoothness with its 4K@60Hz HDMI port, making it ideal for high-definition presentations and entertainment. (Note: Only the HDMI port supports video projection; the USB-C port is for data transfer only.)
- Double Up on Efficiency: The two USB-A 3.0 ports and a USB-C port support a fast 5Gbps data rate, significantly boosting your transfer speeds and improving productivity.
- Fast and Reliable 85W Charging: Offers high-capacity, speedy charging for laptops up to 85W, so you spend less time tethered to an outlet and more time being productive.
- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (7-in-1), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
How the Connections color system works
The New York Times Help Center says the four colors indicate relative difficulty: yellow is the easiest group and purple is the trickiest. Every puzzle has one intended solution, but editors deliberately include words that could plausibly fit more than one category. The Help Center also says words and categories are curated by editors using the Oxford Dictionary.
Playing and accessing this puzzle
- The daily Connections game is free on the New York Times website and apps, and it can be played without registering or signing in.
- A new puzzle releases at midnight in each player’s local timezone.
- The full archive is a subscriber feature for eligible All Access and Games subscribers. The Help Center says the archive reaches back to June 12, 2023, and an account login is required to retain archive progress.
- Connections Bot, which provides subscriber-only statistics and analysis of categories and mistakes, is separate from the free daily game.
Those access offerings can change, so check the current New York Times Help Center if you are reading this after publication.
Rank #4
- Dual Converters, Infinite Potential：Includes 2× USB C male to USB A female adapters and 2× USB A male to USB C female adapters. Perfect for a wide range of uses—tablets with Bluetooth keyboards, expand USB ports on macbook, and more. Two different converters for all your daily needs
- Next-Level 10Gbps & 3A Charging: No more slow 480Mbps, this usb to usb c adapter has a transfer speed of up to 10Gbps, allowing you to do more transferring in less time. This usb adapter fits both USB A and USB C charger, supporting up to 3A fast charging
- Upgraded Exquisite Craftsmanship: With an aluminum alloy housing and metal connector, the usbc to usb adapter is extremely durable and sturdy. Rigorously tested to withstand more than 10,000 times of plugging and unplugging, ensuring long-lasting performance
- Broad Compatible: The usb c to usb adapter widely supports all USB C/ USB A devices like laptops, tablets, cellphones, car chargers, and phone chargers. Such as compatible with MacBook Pro/Air 2023/2022, Thunderbolt 4/3 Devices,Apple MagSafe Watch 9/8/7/SE/Ultra, iPad Pro 2022/2021, Samsung Galaxy S23/S20/S10, and iPhone 17/16/15 Pro. Plug and play
- Please Note: To reach 10Gbps speed, keep the cable under 3.3 ft. For USB A Male to USB C adapters, try flipping the USB C connector. USB C Male to USB A adapters support bidirectional 10Gbps transfer within 3.3 ft
What is known about puzzle difficulty?
No official solve rate, average mistake count or population difficulty score for puzzle #633 has been published in the cited coverage. The color order describes the intended relative challenge, not a measured success percentage for this specific game.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesDate and puzzle-number check
This guide is for Wednesday, March 5, 2025, Connections puzzle #633. March 5, 2026 fell on a Thursday and refers to a different daily puzzle, so the year matters when searching for these answers.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 5-in-1 Connectivity: Equipped with a 4K HDMI port, a 5 Gbps USB-C data port, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports, and a USB C 100W PD-IN port. Note: The USB C 100W PD-IN port supports only charging and does not support data transfer devices such as headphones or speakers.
- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
- Transfer Files in Seconds: Move files to and from your laptop at speeds of up to 5 Gbps via the USB-C and USB-A data ports. Note: The USB C 5Gbps Data port does not support video output.
- HD Display: Connect to the HDMI port to stream or mirror content to an external monitor in resolutions of up to 4K@30Hz. Note: The USB-C ports do not support video output.
- What You Get: Anker 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1), welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty, and friendly customer service.
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