Here are the hints and complete answers for NYT Connections No. 612, the puzzle for Wednesday, February 12, 2025. The 16-word grid contains groups about ownership documents, variety-show segments, The Simpsons, and the phrase “Shake, Rattle and Roll.”
Spoiler warning: The progressive clues appear first. The full grid and answers are farther down the page.
NYT Connections No. 612: the word grid
Before looking at the clues, try grouping these 16 words into four sets of four:
SHAKESPEARE RATTLESNAKE ANDROID ROLLERBLADE
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SONG TITLE SKATEBOARD SKETCH
DONUT DANCE DEED SAXOPHONE
CERTIFICATE MONOLOGUE PACIFIER RECEIPT
Hints for Connections No. 612
These clues move from broad to specific. Stop when you have enough information to finish the puzzle.
Yellow group hint
Look for documents or records that can establish ownership, possession, purchase, or a legal claim.
Green group hint
These are recognizable components of a stage or television variety performance.
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Blue group hint
Think of objects strongly associated with four central characters from The Simpsons.
Purple group hint
Each answer begins with a word from the phrase or song title “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” This is a word-start pattern, not a conventional category based on what the objects mean.
Spoilers: answers to NYT Connections No. 612
The four groups are below, followed by an explanation of why each answer fits.
Rank #3
Yellow: DOCUMENTS OF OWNERSHIP
- CERTIFICATE
- DEED
- RECEIPT
- TITLE
A certificate, deed, receipt, or title can provide documentary evidence of ownership, purchase, or a legal claim, depending on the context. A title and deed are especially associated with legal ownership, while a receipt records a purchase and a certificate can document a status, right, or entitlement.
Green: BITS IN A VARIETY SHOW
- DANCE
- MONOLOGUE
- SKETCH
- SONG
A variety show can include a dance number, a monologue, a comedy sketch, and a song. These words are performance segments rather than one narrowly defined type of entertainment.
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- DONUT
- PACIFIER
- SAXOPHONE
- SKATEBOARD
These objects evoke familiar character imagery from The Simpsons: Homer and his donut, Maggie and her pacifier, Lisa and her saxophone, and Bart and his skateboard. The category depends on recurring associations with the characters; it does not mean these are the only objects those characters use.
Purple: STARTING WITH “SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL”
- ANDROID — begins with AND
- RATTLESNAKE — begins with RATTLE
- ROLLERBLADE — begins with ROLL
- SHAKESPEARE — begins with SHAKE
The purple group is the most wordplay-dependent. SHAKESPEARE, RATTLESNAKE, and ROLLERBLADE visibly begin with shake, rattle, and roll. ANDROID supplies and, the connecting word in the phrase. Together, the beginnings point to “Shake, Rattle and Roll.”
Why this puzzle is tricky
Several entries encourage plausible but incomplete groupings. SKATEBOARD and ROLLERBLADE can initially look like members of a skating or wheeled-sports category, but ROLLERBLADE belongs with the word-beginning group. Likewise, SONG, DANCE, and MONOLOGUE suggest performance, but the intended fourth word is SKETCH, making the broader “variety show” category.
The blue group becomes clear only after shifting from generic objects to character associations. DONUT, PACIFIER, SAXOPHONE, and SKATEBOARD point to Homer, Maggie, Lisa, and Bart respectively. The purple group then asks you to stop considering ordinary meanings altogether and inspect the starts of the words.
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Can you still play Connections No. 612?
Connections is The New York Times’ word-association game: players divide 16 words into four groups of four. The groups are color-coded yellow, green, blue, and purple, with yellow generally the easiest and purple generally the most difficult. The game is available free on supported platforms, and an account is recommended if you want to sync progress. The subscriber-accessible Connections archive extends back to June 12, 2023, so eligible readers may be able to locate this February 12, 2025 puzzle there.
A screen-free option for puzzle fans
If you enjoy Connections but want a screen-free option, the official NYT Games collection Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! includes Connections-inspired puzzles alongside other New York Times formats. It is a hardcover edited by Joel Fagliano, published by Authors Equity on October 21, 2025, and contains 224 pages. It should not be described as a reproduction of archived puzzle No. 612.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the answer to NYT Connections No. 612 on February 12, 2025?
The groups were DOCUMENTS OF OWNERSHIP, BITS IN A VARIETY SHOW, PROPS FOR CHARACTERS ON The Simpsons, and STARTING WITH “SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL.”
What are the purple answers in Connections No. 612?
The purple answers are ANDROID, RATTLESNAKE, ROLLERBLADE, and SHAKESPEARE. Their beginnings point to AND, RATTLE, ROLL, and SHAKE.
What are the blue answers in Connections No. 612?
The blue answers are DONUT, PACIFIER, SAXOPHONE, and SKATEBOARD, objects associated with Homer, Maggie, Lisa, and Bart from The Simpsons.
The Bottom Line
Final solution: CERTIFICATE, DEED, RECEIPT, TITLE are documents of ownership; DANCE, MONOLOGUE, SKETCH, SONG are bits in a variety show; DONUT, PACIFIER, SAXOPHONE, SKATEBOARD evoke The Simpsons; and ANDROID, RATTLESNAKE, ROLLERBLADE, SHAKESPEARE begin with parts of “Shake, Rattle and Roll.”
Quick Recap
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