This page covers NYT Connections puzzle #544, played on Friday, December 6, 2024—not the current Connections puzzle. The 16-word grid includes several words that look interchangeable, a group of Toy Story character names, and a particularly tricky set of informal word endings.
Try the word bank first, then use the progressive hints. The complete groups and explanations appear below the spoiler warning.
NYT Connections #544 word bank
Here are the 16 words from the Friday, December 6, 2024 puzzle:
- PERPLEX
- PUZZLE
- STUMP
- VEX
- HEX
- JINX
- POX
- SPELL
- BUZZ
- HAMM
- REX
- SLINKY
- CORE
- GATE
- MANIA
- PILLED
Connections asks players to divide all 16 words into four groups of four. Each group shares a connection, but some words may appear to fit more than one category. The goal is to identify the intended connections with no more than four mistakes.
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Hints for Connections #544
Use these from top to bottom. The clues become more specific as you go.
Yellow group hint
These words can mean that someone is confused or unable to understand something.
Green group hint
These words can describe placing bad luck or an evil influence on someone.
Blue group hint
These are familiar names of characters from the Toy Story films.
Purple group hint
Add these words to another word to create informal compounds, many of which describe trends, scandals or strong enthusiasms.
Spoiler warning: Connections #544 answers below
Stop here if you are still solving the puzzle. The four groups and the reasoning behind each one are next.
NYT Connections #544 answers
Yellow: BAFFLE
PERPLEX, PUZZLE, STUMP, VEX
All four words can function as verbs meaning to confuse someone or leave them unable to work something out. To perplex or puzzle someone is to baffle them; to stump someone is to prevent them from finding an answer; and to vex someone is to frustrate or trouble them.
Green: CURSE
HEX, JINX, POX, SPELL
Hex, jinx and spell can all refer to a curse, magical harm or bad luck. Pox is the less obvious entry. It fits through the expression “a pox on…” —a traditional malediction or wish that trouble should fall on someone.
Blue: “Toy Story” characters, familiarly
BUZZ, HAMM, REX, SLINKY
These are shortened or familiar names for four members of the Toy Story toy cast: Buzz Lightyear, Hamm, Rex and Slinky Dog. The group is not asking for the characters’ full names; the names commonly used in the films are enough.
Purple: colloquial suffixes
CORE, GATE, MANIA, PILLED
These words can be attached to another word to form informal compounds. Examples include cottagecore, scandalgate, Beatlemania and red-pilled.
This is the puzzle’s most open-ended category because the four words do not share a conventional subject. Instead, they function as productive word-building elements. The ending -gate is commonly used for scandal names, while -core can identify an aesthetic or trend. -mania signals an intense enthusiasm, and -pilled appears in informal expressions describing a person as having adopted a particular outlook or idea.
What makes the tricky groups work?
Why POX belongs with the curse words
Most solvers will quickly recognize HEX, JINX and SPELL as supernatural or bad-luck terms. POX is designed to delay the group. It is not usually a synonym for “curse” in ordinary modern conversation, but “a pox on…” is a fixed-style expression of condemnation or ill will. That phrase gives the word its place in the CURSE group.
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The purple words are connected by how they combine with other words rather than by what they mean independently. A word such as CORE can follow a subject to describe an aesthetic—cottagecore is one familiar example. GATE can be added to a name or issue associated with a scandal. MANIA forms words for intense enthusiasm, and PILLED appears in compounds such as red-pilled.
That word-formation mechanism is why the group can feel less immediately concrete than the yellow synonym group or the blue character group.
Want to play more Connections?
Connections is part of NYT Games. Readers who want to play Connections and explore other NYT Games features can check the NYT Games subscription and the official archive options available at the time they subscribe. Access terms and archive availability can change, so confirm the current details directly with The New York Times before signing up.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently Asked Questions
What date was NYT Connections puzzle #544?
Puzzle #544 was the Friday, December 6, 2024, Connections game. It is an archived puzzle, not the current game for another date.
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What is the hardest group in Connections #544?
The purple group is likely the most difficult: CORE, GATE, MANIA and PILLED can be attached to other words to form informal compounds. POX may also be a stumbling block in the green CURSE group because of the phrase “a pox on…”.
What are the four groups in NYT Connections #544?
The groups are BAFFLE—PERPLEX, PUZZLE, STUMP and VEX; CURSE—HEX, JINX, POX and SPELL; “TOY STORY” characters, familiarly—BUZZ, HAMM, REX and SLINKY; and colloquial suffixes—CORE, GATE, MANIA and PILLED.
The Bottom Line
The answers to NYT Connections #544 are BAFFLE, CURSE, familiar “TOY STORY” characters, and colloquial suffixes. The key traps are recognizing POX as part of the curse group and seeing CORE, GATE, MANIA and PILLED as word-building elements rather than a normal semantic category.
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