Right this moment’s puzzle isn’t too laborious, so don’t LABOR over it too lengthy (okay, okay, I’ll present myself out). In the event you’re in search of the Connections reply for Sunday, November 19, 2023, learn on—I’ll share some clues, suggestions, and techniques, and eventually the options to all 4 classes. Alongside the best way, I’ll clarify the meanings of the trickier phrases and we’ll find out how the whole lot suits collectively. Beware, there are spoilers beneath for November 19, NYT Connections #161! Learn on in order for you some hints (after which the reply) to at the moment’s Connections recreation.
If you need a straightforward solution to come again to our Connections hints on daily basis, bookmark this web page. You can even discover our previous hints there as nicely, in case you need to know what you missed in a earlier puzzle.
Under, I’ll provide you with some indirect hints at at the moment’s Connections solutions. And farther down the web page, I’ll reveal the themes and the solutions. Scroll slowly and take simply the hints you want!
Does at the moment’s Connections recreation require any particular data?
Nothing too obscure!
Hints for the themes in at the moment’s Connections puzzle
Listed here are some spoiler-free hints for the groupings in at the moment’s Connections:
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Yellow class – Beginnings.
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Inexperienced class – Indicators of greatness.
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Blue class – Hold your toes transferring.
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Purple class – Perhaps you’ll get the day without work?
Does at the moment’s Connections recreation contain any wordplay?
Only one fill-in-the-blank.
Prepared to listen to the solutions? Hold scrolling in order for you a bit of extra assist.

Credit score: Connections/NYT
BEWARE: Spoilers observe for at the moment’s Connections puzzle!
We’re about to offer away a few of the solutions. Scroll slowly in the event you don’t need the entire thing spoiled. (The total answer is a bit additional down.)
What are the ambiguous phrases in at the moment’s Connections?
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MARCH, AUGUST, and MAY are all months, however they’re additionally phrases with different meanings. They’re in three completely different classes at the moment.
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STEP can imply a platform in a staircase, or it may be a phrase describing household relations (for a minute there I actually needed STEP dad or mum, BIRTH dad or mum, and GRAND dad or mum to be a gaggle, however they’re not). You can even take one small STEP or a big STRIDE.
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MAY Day is an worldwide day of labor solidarity on Could 1, which the U.S. authorities refuses to acknowledge as a result of, you already know, that’s a commie vacation. (Throughout the chilly warfare, Eisenhower declared Could 1 to be “Legislation Day” and the Presidential Council on Youth Health determined to schedule Youth Health Week for the primary week in Could, as a “psychological weapon within the warfare of ideologies because the Free World’s voluntary celebration of Could Day.”) Since 1894, although, we’ve had our personal LABOR day in September.
What are the classes in at the moment’s Connections?
DOUBLE BEWARE: THE SOLUTION IS BELOW
Able to study the solutions to at the moment’s Connections puzzle? I give all of them away beneath.
What are the yellow phrases in at the moment’s Connections?
The yellow grouping is taken into account to be essentially the most simple. The theme for at the moment’s yellow group is ONSET and the phrases are: BIRTH, CREATION, DAWN, START.
What are the inexperienced phrases in at the moment’s Connections?
The inexperienced grouping is meant to be the second-easiest. The theme for at the moment’s inexperienced class is VENERABLE and the phrases are: AUGUST, GRAND, NOBLE, REGAL.
What are the blue phrases in at the moment’s Connections?
The blue grouping is the second-hardest. The theme for at the moment’s blue class is WALK and the phrases are: MARCH, STEP, STRIDE, TREAD.
What are the purple phrases in at the moment’s Connections?
The purple grouping is taken into account to be the toughest. The theme for at the moment’s purple class is ____ DAY HOLIDAYS and the phrases are: EARTH, GROUNDHOG, LABOR, MAY.
How I solved at the moment’s Connections
I needed to incorporate BIRTH day and EARTH day in the identical group, however I had too many days (LABOR, MAY, GROUNDHOG). So I regarded elsewhere and located that BIRTH can go together with DAWN, START, and CREATION. 🟨
What’s up with AUGUST? There aren’t sufficient months to pair it with MARCH, so as an alternative it should go together with GRAND, NOBLE, and REGAL. 🟩 STRIDE, STEP, MARCH, and TREAD type one other group 🟦, which leaves my celebratory days as EARTH, LABOR, MAY, and GROUNDHOG. 🟪 And I’ve really solved the classes in colour order for as soon as.
Connections Puzzle #161 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪
Learn how to play Connections
I’ve a full information to enjoying Connections, however right here’s a refresher on the foundations:
First, discover the Connections recreation both on the New York Occasions web site or of their Crossword app. You’ll see a recreation board with 16 tiles, every with one phrase or phrase. Your job is to pick a gaggle of 4 tiles which have one thing in widespread. Typically they’re all the identical kind of factor (for instance: RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, and SNOW are all sorts of moist climate) however typically there may be wordplay concerned (for instance, BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH are all sorts of lists: bucket checklist, visitor checklist, and so forth).
Choose 4 objects and hit the Submit button. In the event you guessed accurately, the class and colour will likely be revealed. (Yellow is best, adopted by inexperienced, then blue, then purple.) In case your guess was incorrect, you’ll get an opportunity to attempt once more.
You win whenever you’ve accurately recognized all 4 teams. However in the event you make 4 errors earlier than you end, the sport ends and the solutions are revealed.
Learn how to win Connections
A very powerful factor to know to win Connections is that the groupings are designed to be tough. Count on to see overlapping teams. For instance, one puzzle appeared to incorporate six breakfast meals: BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. However BACON turned out to be a part of a gaggle of painters together with CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, and EGG was in a gaggle of issues that come by the dozen (together with JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). So don’t hit “submit” till you’ve confirmed that your group of 4 incorporates solely these 4 issues.
In the event you’re caught, one other technique is to have a look at the phrases that appear to have no connection to the others. If all that involves thoughts whenever you see WHISTLER is the portray nicknamed “Whistler’s Mom,” you may be on to one thing. Once I solved that one, I ended up googling whether or not there was a painter named Shut, as a result of Shut didn’t match any of the plain themes, both.
One other solution to win whenever you’re caught is, clearly, to learn a number of useful hints–which is why we share these pointers on daily basis. Test again tomorrow for the subsequent puzzle!