Connections is one of those games that feels like a personal attack when you're down to your last mistake. One minute you're breezing through a category about kitchen appliances, and the next, you're staring at four words that seemingly have nothing in common except they all contain the letter 'E.' If you are hunting for nyt connections hints december 11, you likely hit a wall with the December 11, 2025, puzzle (#914).
It happens to the best of us. Honestly, this specific grid was a masterclass in "wait, is that actually the theme?" It didn't rely on deep trivia or obscure 19th-century poets. Instead, it played with how we hear words and how we see them—literally.
Why Today’s Puzzle Feels Tricky
The December 11 puzzle is rated about a 1.5 out of 5 for difficulty by the experts, which feels like a bit of a brag. Sure, the yellow category is a walk in the park (pun intended), but the blue and purple groups? Those are the ones that usually ruin a perfect streak.
The main issue here is the "Letter Homophones" group. When you see QUEUE and QUE on the same board, your brain immediately wants to group them because they look similar and sound identical. That’s a classic NYT trap. Most people get stuck trying to find a "words that mean waiting" category, but that path leads to a quick "one away" notification and a lot of frustration.
Hints for the December 11 Categories
If you don't want the full answers yet but just need a nudge in the right direction, here are some conceptual hints for the groups in puzzle #914:
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- Yellow: Think about things you’d see if you walked out your back door into the grass.
- Green: This isn't about what the words mean; it's about the building blocks. If you scrambled the letters of one, could you make the others?
- Blue: Read these out loud. Not as words, but as if you were reciting the alphabet to a toddler.
- Purple: These words all share a common partner that is usually associated with cleaning or old western movies.
A Deeper Look at the Word List
The words today are: ARE, ARES, BOWL, BUNNY, DEVIL, EARS, ELLE, GNOME, GRILL, JACKET, QUE, QUEUE, SEAR, SERA, SHED, SPRINKLER.
At first glance, you might think BUNNY and GNOME go together because they are yard decorations. You're half right. While a gnome is definitely a yard staple, "bunny" is part of a much "dustier" connection. This is where the game gets its teeth into you.
NYT Connections Hints December 11: The Solution Breakdown
Let's get into the actual answers. If you’re still trying to solve this on your own, look away now!
The Yellow Group: Things Seen in a Yard
This was the "easy" win. If you’ve ever had to do yard work or host a BBQ, these should have jumped out at you.
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- GNOME
- GRILL
- SHED
- SPRINKLER
The Green Group: Anagrams
This is a recurring theme in Connections that people often overlook because they are too focused on definitions. All four of these words use the exact same four letters: A, E, R, and S.
- ARES (The Greek god)
- EARS (You have two)
- SEAR (What you do to a steak)
- SERA (The plural of serum)
The Blue Group: Letter Homophones
This is the one that causes the most "Wait, really?" reactions. Each of these words, when spoken aloud, sounds exactly like a single letter of the alphabet.
- ARE (The letter R)
- ELLE (The letter L)
- QUE (The letter Q)
- QUEUE (Also the letter Q—yes, they doubled up on the sound!)
The Purple Group: Dust ___
The hardest category is often a "fill in the blank" style. These are all words that follow the word "Dust."
- BOWL (The Dust Bowl of the 1930s)
- BUNNY (Those annoying clumps under your bed)
- DEVIL (A mini whirlwind)
- JACKET (The paper cover on a book)
How to Beat the Red Herrings
The trick to surviving the December 11 puzzle was separating ARES from the "Yard" group. It sounds a bit like "areas," or you might think of a "shrine" in a yard, but it’s a total decoy. Similarly, QUE and QUEUE being in the same category is rare. Usually, the NYT avoids using two words that sound the same in the same group unless the theme is that they sound like letters.
Always look for the most "specialized" word first. SPRINKLER doesn't have many meanings other than the water tool or the 80s dance move. Since there aren't other dance moves on the board, it almost certainly belongs to a "yard" or "water" category. Using that as an anchor helps you clear the board.
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If you find yourself stuck, try the "shuffle" button. It sounds simple, but our brains get "locked" into seeing words in certain positions. Shifting the grid can break that mental loop and help you see the EARS/SEAR/ARES connection that was hidden in plain sight.
For your next game, keep an eye out for those homophones. If you see words like "TEA," "PEA," or "EYE," there is a high chance the puzzle is playing with the alphabet again.
Now that you've cleared the December 11 board, take a look at the remaining words and see how they might have fit into other categories—it's the best way to train your brain for tomorrow's grid. Make sure to check the "one away" hints carefully next time, as they often tell you if you're on the right track with a theme but just have one "imposter" word in your selection.