NYT Connections #680 was published on Monday, April 21, 2025. If you need help, use the hints first; the complete groups and explanations follow below. This page refers specifically to the 2025 puzzle, not another April 21 edition from a different year.
NYT Connections #680, published Monday, April 21, 2025, groups the words into nutrition-label information, metaphors for unexpected events, spreadsheet components, and helical things. The full groups are below, along with spoiler-free hints and a step-by-step explanation of the trickiest overlaps.
Date note: This is the April 21, 2025 puzzle, not a different Connections puzzle published on April 21 in another year.
NYT Connections #680 hints for April 21
Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to divide them into four groups of four. The hints below go from broadest to most specific. Stop before the answer section if you still want to solve the puzzle yourself.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems- Yellow: Think about information commonly printed on packaged-food nutrition labels.
- Green: These words can describe an unexpected event, revelation, or sudden change.
- Blue: Think about the structural parts of a spreadsheet.
- Purple: Look for objects or forms associated with a spiral or helix.
Words in Connections #680
The 16 words in the April 21, 2025 board were:
CELL, IRON, TWIST, SHEET, SPRING, WRENCH, PROTEIN, CORKSCREW, DNA, CURVEBALL, COLUMN, SODIUM, BOMBSHELL, ROW, FAT, FUSILLI
NYT Connections #680 answers
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Information on a nutritional label | FAT, IRON, PROTEIN, SODIUM |
| Metaphor for something unexpected | BOMBSHELL, CURVEBALL, TWIST, WRENCH |
| Things you insert into a spreadsheet | CELL, COLUMN, ROW, SHEET |
| Helical things | CORKSCREW, DNA, FUSILLI, SPRING |
How to solve the April 21 Connections puzzle
1. Start with the spreadsheet group
CELL, COLUMN, ROW, and SHEET form the most direct group on the board. A spreadsheet is made up of cells arranged in rows and columns, while a workbook can contain multiple sheets.
This is a useful early find because the words share a precise software and productivity meaning rather than merely being associated with one another.
Rank #2
2. Identify the nutrition-label terms
FAT, PROTEIN, and SODIUM immediately suggest a packaged-food nutrition label. The less obvious fourth word is IRON.
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IRON is designed to distract because it is also an ordinary physical material. In this group, however, it is the nutrient listed alongside fat, protein, and sodium.
3. Read the remaining words as figurative language
After removing the spreadsheet and nutrition words, BOMBSHELL, CURVEBALL, TWIST, and WRENCH remain.
- A bombshell can be a shocking revelation.
- A curveball is an unexpected complication or development.
- A twist is a surprising turn in a story or situation.
- A wrench can disrupt a plan in the expression “throw a wrench into the works.”
The category is therefore not about physical objects or movement. It is about words used metaphorically for something unexpected or disruptive.
4. Use the visual association for the final group
The last four words are CORKSCREW, DNA, FUSILLI, and SPRING. Each suggests a spiral or helix:
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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →- A corkscrew follows a spiral shape.
- DNA is associated with a double helix.
- Fusilli pasta is formed in a twisted, spiral shape.
- A coil spring is helical.
This is the purple group and the most visual category on the board.
Rank #4
Why Connections #680 was tricky
The puzzle uses several words that can naturally point in more than one direction. That overlap is intentional: Connections boards are built so that plausible partial groups do not necessarily represent the solution.
SPRING is especially deceptive. It can evoke a sudden change or movement, but here it belongs with the physical spiral forms. TWIST and CURVEBALL can also suggest rotation or motion, yet their intended meaning is figurative: an unexpected development or complication.
IRON creates a different kind of trap. It can be read as a metal, but the surrounding words FAT, PROTEIN, and SODIUM make its nutrition-label meaning the stronger fit.
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A reliable Connections rule is to prefer the category that explains all four words using the same conventional meaning. A broad association such as “things involving motion” is weaker than a category that cleanly accounts for every word.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Full answer grid for Connections #680
| Word | Group | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| FAT | Nutrition-label information | A standard nutrition-label entry. |
| IRON | Nutrition-label information | A mineral listed as a nutrient. |
| PROTEIN | Nutrition-label information | A familiar nutrition-label entry. |
| SODIUM | Nutrition-label information | A standard nutrition-label entry. |
| BOMBSHELL | Metaphor for something unexpected | A shocking revelation or surprise. |
| CURVEBALL | Metaphor for something unexpected | An unexpected complication or turn. |
| TWIST | Metaphor for something unexpected | A surprising development, especially in a story. |
| WRENCH | Metaphor for something unexpected | Something that disrupts a plan when “thrown into the works.” |
| CELL | Spreadsheet component | A single unit in a spreadsheet grid. |
| COLUMN | Spreadsheet component | A vertical arrangement of spreadsheet cells. |
| ROW | Spreadsheet component | A horizontal arrangement of spreadsheet cells. |
| SHEET | Spreadsheet component | An individual page or tab in a workbook. |
| CORKSCREW | Helical thing | A spiral-shaped tool. |
| DNA | Helical thing | Associated with a double-helix structure. |
| FUSILLI | Helical thing | Twisted, spiral-shaped pasta. |
| SPRING | Helical thing | A coiled spring has a helical form. |
Want more Connections puzzles?
The New York Times Games and Wyna Liu have an official Connections puzzle book, Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay. It is described as a hardcover collection with more than 100 puzzles, including exclusive puzzles. The UK publisher listing gives a December 17, 2026 publication date, so check the current publisher or bookseller listing for availability and preorder information before buying. Nothing in the available listing confirms that puzzle #680 appears in the book.
For a physical puzzle collection, an erasable pen or pencil can be useful, but it is optional; the important tool is a method for testing exact categories rather than chasing loose associations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Connections answers for April 21, 2025?
The four categories are Information on a nutritional label; Metaphor for something unexpected; Things you insert into a spreadsheet; and Helical things.
What is the yellow group in Connections #680?
The yellow group is FAT, IRON, PROTEIN, and SODIUM: all are information found on a nutrition label.
What is the purple group in Connections #680?
The purple group is CORKSCREW, DNA, FUSILLI, and SPRING. Each is associated with a spiral or helix.
The Bottom Line
Connections #680, for April 21, 2025: FAT, IRON, PROTEIN, SODIUM; BOMBSHELL, CURVEBALL, TWIST, WRENCH; CELL, COLUMN, ROW, SHEET; and CORKSCREW, DNA, FUSILLI, SPRING.
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