Honestly, the New York Times puzzle editors must have a shared calendar where they circle certain dates just to mess with us. If you opened the grid today and felt like you were seeing double—or rather, seeing twelve of everything—you aren’t crazy. It’s December 12, and the NYT Connections hints for December 12 reflect exactly that. It's one of those rare days where the date itself is the biggest clue in the building.
Connections is usually a game about synonyms or "words that follow X." But today? Today it feels like a math test disguised as a vocab quiz.
If you’re staring at words like ZODIAC, FOOT, and CLINCH (wait, was clinch there? No, I'm thinking of something else), let’s get your head on straight. You've got 16 words, four lives, and a whole lot of potential frustration if you start clicking without a plan.
The Board: What Are We Dealing With?
Today’s word list is a mix of the mundane and the suspiciously specific. At first glance, you might see some movement words. Then you see some gardening terms. But the real trick is the "12" theme lurking under the surface.
Here is the breakdown of the 16 words you're looking at:
- BLOW
- BULB
- CLOCK
- EAR
- FLAP
- FOOT
- HEAD
- HOLD
- HOUSE
- KEEP
- SPEAR
- STORE
- SWAY
- WAVE
- YEAR
- ZODIAC
NYT Connections Hints December 12
Before I give you the full-blown answers (which I will, don't worry), let’s try to nudge your brain in the right direction.
The Yellow Group is basically about "containing" or "storing." If you have something and you don't want to lose it, what do you do with it?
The Green Group is airy. Think of a flag on a windy day or a willow tree. It’s all about motion that isn't quite traveling from point A to point B, but more just... oscillating.
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The Blue Group is for the grocery shoppers and gardeners. If you're buying produce, you don't just buy "a corn" or "an asparagus." You buy a specific unit.
The Purple Group is the 12/12 special. It’s the "A Dozen of These" category. If you can count to twelve, you can solve this one—provided you realize that "Foot" isn't just something you put in a shoe.
Yellow Group: To Contain or Hold
This one is the most straightforward, though HOUSE might trip you up. We usually think of a house as a building where people live, but as a verb, to house something means to provide space for it or contain it.
- HOLD
- HOUSE
- KEEP
- STORE
These are all basically synonyms for "to keep something in a particular place."
Green Group: Moving in the Wind
I almost fell for a "body parts" trap here because of FLAP (ears?) and WAVE (hand?), but stay focused. These are all things that happen when a breeze hits.
- BLOW
- FLAP
- SWAY
- WAVE
It’s a very "breezy" category. If you’ve ever stood on a pier, you’ve seen all four of these in action.
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Blue Group: Units of Vegetables
This is where the puzzle gets a bit more "New York Times-y." They love their specific nomenclature. You don't just eat corn; you eat an EAR of corn. You don't just buy garlic; you buy a BULB.
- BULB (Garlic)
- EAR (Corn)
- HEAD (Lettuce or Cabbage)
- SPEAR (Asparagus)
If you're a cook, this probably felt like a gift. If you live on takeout, SPEAR and BULB might have felt like outliers.
Purple Group: Things Divided into Twelve
This is the "meta" category for December 12. Since it is the 12th day of the 12th month, the editors went all in on the number twelve. It’s clever, but only if you see it.
- CLOCK (12 hours)
- FOOT (12 inches)
- YEAR (12 months)
- ZODIAC (12 signs)
Honestly, FOOT is the one that usually breaks people’s streaks here because they're looking for body parts (Head, Ear, Foot) or movement.
Why Today’s Puzzle is a Trap
The biggest danger in the NYT Connections hints for December 12 is the "Body Part" red herring.
You see HEAD, EAR, and FOOT and immediately think there must be a fourth. You look for "EYE" or "HAND," but they aren't there. Then you see WAVE (hand wave) or FLAP (ear flap?) and you start guessing. That's exactly what Wyna Liu (the puzzle editor) wants you to do.
The trick to winning Connections isn't just finding what fits; it's finding what fits better somewhere else. FOOT fits with HEAD and EAR, sure. But FOOT is the only one that is strictly defined by the number 12 in a mathematical sense (12 inches). Once you pull FOOT out of the body part pile and put it into the "Twelve" pile, the vegetable units (EAR, HEAD, SPEAR) start to make a lot more sense.
How to Beat the Grid Tomorrow
If today kicked your butt, don't sweat it. Most people lose because they submit the first group of four they see.
- Don't Click Yet: When you see four words that work, stop. Look at the remaining 12 words. Do any of them also fit that category? If you have five words that fit "Body Parts," you know that's a red herring.
- Say It Out Loud: Sometimes saying "Bulb, Ear, Head" makes you realize you're talking about a grocery list.
- The "12" Rule: Keep an eye on the calendar. The NYT loves a holiday or a date-specific pun. If it's July 4th, look for fireworks. If it's December 12, look for dozens.
Actionable Strategy for Your Next Game
Start by identifying the "Double Agents." Today, HOUSE and FOOT were the double agents. They wanted to be in different groups. Before you submit your next puzzle, find the two words that feel like they could live in two different homes. Solve those first—or save them for last once the obvious groups are cleared out.
If you’re still stuck on the "Twelve" theme, go grab a ruler or look at a calendar. It's all right there in front of you.
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Check back tomorrow for the next set of hints, because if today was about 12, tomorrow might be something even weirder. Keep your streaks alive.