Spoiler warning: The answers below are for the historical Saturday, May 3, 2025 puzzle, NYT Connections #692. The four groups were AWESOME, DEFEAT SOUNDLY, “WILL” CONTRACTIONS WITHOUT THE APOSTROPHE, and URL ENDINGS PLUS A LETTER.
Spoiler warning: The answers for the Saturday, May 3, 2025 New York Times Connections puzzle are below. This was Connections #692, not the live puzzle for today.
NYT Connections answers for May 3, 2025
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| AWESOME | DOPE, FIRE, LIT, SICK |
| DEFEAT SOUNDLY | CREAM, LICK, PASTE, SMOKE |
| “WILL” CONTRACTIONS WITHOUT THE APOSTROPHE | HELL, ILL, SHELL, WELL |
| URL ENDINGS PLUS A LETTER | COMP, MILK, NETI, ORGO |
The complete May 3 Connections grid
If you are checking that you have the correct historical puzzle, the 16 entries were:
SMOKE, SHELL, FIRE, MILK, CREAM, COMP, HELL, LIT, SICK, LICK, PASTE, NETI, ORGO, ILL, WELL, DOPE.
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Connections #692 group explanations
Yellow: AWESOME
DOPE, FIRE, LIT, SICK
Each word can be used as informal slang for something excellent, impressive, or exciting. For example, calling a performance “fire” or “sick” is praise in this context—not a description of illness or flames.
Green: DEFEAT SOUNDLY
CREAM, LICK, PASTE, SMOKE
These words can all function as verbs meaning to beat or defeat an opponent decisively. A team can “cream” or “paste” another team, while someone can “lick” or “smoke” a rival in a contest.
Blue: “WILL” CONTRACTIONS WITHOUT THE APOSTROPHE
HELL, ILL, SHELL, WELL
This is the puzzle’s spelling-based group. Add the apostrophe and the missing letter structure used in contractions with will:
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- HELL becomes he’ll.
- ILL becomes I’ll.
- SHELL becomes she’ll.
- WELL becomes we’ll.
The entries are therefore the contractions with their apostrophes and the “’ll” spelling removed.
Purple: URL endings plus a letter
COMP, MILK, NETI, ORGO
Remove the final letter from each entry and the remaining letters form familiar domain endings:
- COMP minus P gives COM, or .com.
- MILK minus K gives MIL, or .mil.
- NETI minus I gives NET, or .net.
- ORGO minus O gives ORG, or .org.
This unusual word-truncation mechanic is why the purple group is harder to spot than the slang or “defeat” groups.
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Why this puzzle was difficult
The May 3 grid combined ordinary meanings with two groups that depended on manipulating the spelling of the entries. The yellow group uses modern slang, and the green group uses several informal verbs for winning decisively. Those can be found through meaning alone, although SMOKE and FIRE may initially appear related.
The main trap is the overlap between the blue and purple groups. SHELL, HELL, WELL, and ILL do not form a normal semantic category; they become recognizable only when read as contractions with will. The purple words work similarly through deletion: their final letters conceal .com, .mil, .net, and .org.
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How Connections works
In Connections, players sort 16 words into four groups of four. Every group shares a connection, but some words are deliberately chosen to appear to fit more than one category. The four groups are color-coded by difficulty, and players can make up to four incorrect guesses before the puzzle ends.
For a puzzle like this one, a useful solving approach is to:
- Look first for a group with a precise, defensible connection rather than a loose association.
- Mark words that could fit several ideas and avoid committing them too early.
- Check whether unusual entries become meaningful after a small spelling operation, such as adding an apostrophe or removing a letter.
- Before submitting, verify that all four words fit the category equally well.
Want more Connections puzzles?
Readers who enjoy the format and prefer solving away from a screen may want to look for the official Connections puzzle book from The New York Times Games and Wyna Liu. The publisher describes it as a hardcover collection with more than 100 Connections puzzles, exclusive puzzles, variations on the standard 4-by-4 format, and behind-the-scenes material. The listed edition is 192 pages, ISBN 9798893312607, with a stated publication date of October 27, 2026. Availability and retailer details should be checked before purchase.
A broader alternative is Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More!, which combines Connections-style material with other New York Times Games. It is less specifically focused on Connections than the dedicated collection.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Connections puzzle number for May 3, 2025?
The May 3, 2025 NYT Connections puzzle was #692. Its groups were AWESOME; DEFEAT SOUNDLY; “WILL” CONTRACTIONS WITHOUT THE APOSTROPHE; and URL ENDINGS PLUS A LETTER.
What was the blue group in Connections on May 3, 2025?
The blue answers were HELL, ILL, SHELL, and WELL. They become he’ll, I’ll, she’ll, and we’ll when the apostrophe and “ll” contraction structure are restored.
How does the purple group work in the May 3 Connections puzzle?
Remove the final letter from COMP, MILK, NETI, and ORGO to reveal COM, MIL, NET, and ORG—the familiar URL endings .com, .mil, .net, and .org.
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The May 3, 2025 NYT Connections answers were DOPE, FIRE, LIT, SICK for “AWESOME”; CREAM, LICK, PASTE, SMOKE for “DEFEAT SOUNDLY”; HELL, ILL, SHELL, WELL for apostrophe-free “will” contractions; and COMP, MILK, NETI, ORGO for URL endings plus one letter.
Quick Recap
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