The date and game number in this puzzle title do not match. Tuesday, May 27, 2025 was NYT Connections #716; #714 was the Sunday, May 25 puzzle. The hints and answers below lead with the date-specific #716 game, followed by the alternate #714 solution.
Important correction: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 was NYT Connections #716, not #714. Game #714 was published on Sunday, May 25. Because the date is the stronger identifier for most readers, the hints and answers below are for the May 27 puzzle, #716. A separate section contains the correct answers for #714.
NYT Connections hints for Tuesday, May 27, 2025 (#716)
Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to divide them into four groups of four. Each group shares a relationship, but several words are deliberately chosen to suggest misleading categories.
Here are spoiler-light hints, from the intended yellow group through the purple group:
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- Yellow: Think of objects that are generally circular and flat.
- Green: Think of things you might find at an airport.
- Blue: Think of techniques used while playing a six-string instrument.
- Purple: Think of objects—or a creature—associated with the transformation sequence in Beauty and the Beast.
May 27 Connections word bank
The 16 words in puzzle #716 were:
CAROUSEL, CANDELABRA, COASTER, CLOCK, SLIDE, GATE, RECORD, TEACUP, BEAST, PICK, LOUNGE, PANCAKE, STRUM, FRISBEE, BEND, FOOD COURT
Spoiler warning: The complete groups and answers are below.
Answers for NYT Connections #716
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Round flat things | COASTER, FRISBEE, PANCAKE, RECORD |
| Green | Airport features | CAROUSEL, FOOD COURT, GATE, LOUNGE |
| Blue | Guitar-playing techniques | BEND, PICK, SLIDE, STRUM |
| Purple | What characters were transformed into in Beauty and the Beast | BEAST, CANDELABRA, CLOCK, TEACUP |
Yellow: Round flat things
COASTER, FRISBEE, PANCAKE, RECORD
These are all broadly circular, flat objects. A coaster and a record are manufactured disks, while a pancake and a Frisbee are recognizable round, flat objects. This is the most approachable group and a good place to begin.
Green: Airport features
CAROUSEL, FOOD COURT, GATE, LOUNGE
An airport can have a baggage carousel, a departure gate, a passenger lounge, and a food court. The words do not all describe airport-only features, which is typical of Connections, but the airport setting unites them.
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Blue: Guitar-playing techniques
BEND, PICK, SLIDE, STRUM
To bend a note, use a pick, perform a slide, and strum are all associated with playing guitar. “Pick” is the slightly different entry because it can refer to the plectrum rather than a technique, but it belongs with the other guitar terms.
Purple: Beauty and the Beast transformations
BEAST, CANDELABRA, CLOCK, TEACUP
These refer to characters or the central transformation story in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: the prince becomes the Beast, while members of the enchanted castle’s household are represented as a candelabra, a clock, and a teacup.
The main red herring in #716
CAROUSEL, COASTER, SLIDE, and TEACUP can look like an amusement-park or fairground group. That is an attractive trap: a carousel, coaster, and slide are obvious rides, and teacups evoke a familiar amusement-park attraction.
However, that combination leaves the intended categories incomplete. CAROUSEL belongs with the airport terms because of the baggage carousel, while TEACUP is needed for the Beauty and the Beast group. The best way through the trap is to test whether a proposed category uses all four words precisely, then look at what remains.
A practical solving route for this puzzle
- Start with the obvious shapes: COASTER, FRISBEE, PANCAKE, and RECORD all suggest round, flat objects.
- Remove those four words. The remaining list makes the airport connection easier to see: CAROUSEL, FOOD COURT, GATE, and LOUNGE.
- Look for action words and equipment: BEND, PICK, SLIDE, and STRUM point to guitar playing.
- Use the remaining four for the hardest category: BEAST, CANDELABRA, CLOCK, and TEACUP all connect to Beauty and the Beast.
If you are solving without spoilers, stop after the hints and try the grid again before reading the table. Connections rewards identifying the intended meaning—not merely finding four words that can be loosely related.
If you meant game #714
If #714 is the important part of the search rather than the Tuesday date, that puzzle was published on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Its word bank and answers were different.
The #714 word bank was:
DOUBLE, HELIX, SNAIL, KING, CONCH, QUEEN, TWIN, ROOK, ELECTRONIC, JUNK, ACE, RINGER, JACK, LOBE, CLONE, CHAIN
Spoiler warning: The correct #714 groups are below.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Playing cards | ACE, JACK, KING, QUEEN |
| Green | Doppelgängers | CLONE, DOUBLE, RINGER, TWIN |
| Blue | Ear-piercing sites | CONCH, HELIX, LOBE, SNAIL |
| Purple | __ mail | CHAIN, ELECTRONIC, JUNK, ROOK |
Why #714 was easy to misread
DOUBLE, KING, QUEEN, and TWIN can suggest mattress sizes, but that is not the intended category. The correct group is the broader idea of a duplicate or look-alike: CLONE, DOUBLE, RINGER, and TWIN.
The purple group uses words that can follow or precede “mail”: chain mail, electronic mail, junk mail, and rook mail. The last phrase is a chess-related term, making this the puzzle’s most specialized connection.
Want more Connections puzzles?
For screen-free practice, look for an NYT Connections puzzle book. Barnes & Noble lists Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay as a collection of more than 100 puzzles. The listing gives an October 27, 2026 release date, so check the retailer for current availability and do not assume that it contains this specific May 27 daily puzzle.
More help for solving Connections
- Begin with the most concrete relationship, but do not commit until all four words fit naturally.
- Watch for words with multiple meanings, such as CAROUSEL, PICK, SLIDE, and TEACUP.
- After finding a group, reread the remaining words from scratch. Removing four entries often reveals a connection that was hidden by the full grid.
- Be wary of categories based only on a shared setting, such as amusement parks or fairs. Connections often uses one word’s less obvious meaning to break that pattern.
- Save the hardest group for last. Purple categories commonly rely on a title, phrase, cultural reference, or wordplay rather than a simple object type.
For the date-specific search, the answer is #716: round flat things, airport features, guitar-playing techniques, and Beauty and the Beast transformations. For the number-specific search, the answer is #714: playing cards, doppelgängers, ear-piercing sites, and types of mail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the NYT Connections number for May 27, 2025?
Tuesday, May 27, 2025 was NYT Connections game #716. Game #714 was published on Sunday, May 25, 2025.
What were the categories for NYT Connections #716?
The four groups were ROUND FLAT THINGS; AIRPORT FEATURES; GUITAR-PLAYING TECHNIQUES; and WHAT CHARACTERS WERE TRANSFORMED INTO IN Beauty and the Beast.
Why does CAROUSEL belong in the airport group?
The intended #716 group is CAROUSEL, FOOD COURT, GATE, and LOUNGE. CAROUSEL can mislead solvers because it also suggests an amusement park.
What were the answers for NYT Connections #714?
#714’s groups were PLAYING CARDS, DOPPELGÄNGERS, EAR PIERCING SITES, and __ MAIL.
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The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 was Connections #716, not #714. Its groups were round flat things, airport features, guitar-playing techniques, and Beauty and the Beast transformations. Game #714 was the Sunday, May 25 puzzle.
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