New York Times Connections Hints and Answers for #563 December 25, 2024

It's Christmas Day, and it's time for another challenging Connections puzzle from the New York Times! If you've tackled past holiday puzzles, you know the NYT likes to subtly incorporate holiday themes. Need a hand with today's puzzle (December 25th, 2024)? Look no further. This guide provides hints, category clues, and even full spoilers, but not the game rules themselves.

Today's Connections Puzzle #563 Word List:

The words are: Queen, Star, Cupid, Strong, Rudolph, Sagittarius, Nanny, Comet, Vixen, Moon, Robin Hood, Shannon, Hawkeye, Fey, Jenny, and Planet.

What's the Deal with "Jenny"?

"Jenny" has multiple meanings: a spinning machine, a female name, a female animal (in certain species), and a nautical term (a type of jib sail).

Hints and Spoilers:

Here's a breakdown of hints and solutions, revealed section by section:

General Puzzle Hints:

Key hints:

1. No reindeer names.
2. No categories based solely on female first names.
3. "Shannon" and "Strong" belong together.

Yellow Category (Easy): Hints & Answer

Hints: Think black holes and satellites.

Answer: Celestial Objects

Words: Comet, Moon, Planet, Star

Green Category (Medium): Hints & Answer

Hints: Consider Katniss, Artemis, and Legolas.

Answer: Archers

Words: Cupid, Hawkeye, Robin Hood, Sagittarius

Blue Category (Hard): Hints & Answer

Hints: Think "doe," "hen," and "molly."

Answer: Female Animals

Words: Jenny, Nanny, Queen, Vixen

Purple Category (Tricky): Hints & Answer

Hints: Consider comedians.

Answer: SNL Cast Members

Words: Fey, Rudolph, Shannon, Strong

Complete Solutions:

Here's the complete solution:

• Yellow - Celestial Objects: Comet, Moon, Planet, Star
• Green - Archers: Cupid, Hawkeye, Robin Hood, Sagittarius
• Blue - Female Animals: Jenny, Nanny, Queen, Vixen
• Purple - SNL Cast Members: Fey, Rudolph, Shannon, Strong

Ready to play? Head to the New York Times Games Connections website – it's accessible on most devices.