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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Need help with NYT Connections puzzle #710 from Wednesday, May 21, 2025? Start with the spoiler-free hints below, then continue past the warning for the four answers. The New York Times releases Connections at midnight in each player’s timezone, so the date can vary depending on when you play.
Hints for Connections #710
Each hint points toward a group without naming its four words. Stop here if you want to keep solving.
- Yellow: A word that can mean “prohibit, as entry.”
- Green: Places or folders associated with a Mac computer.
- Blue: Different forms in which medicine is sold or administered.
- Purple: Objects that can open in a way resembling a clam shell.
Spoilers: all four answers
The following reveals the full solution to the May 21, 2025 puzzle.
| Color | Category | Words | Why they fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Prohibit, as entry | BAR, BLOCK, DENY, REFUSE | Each can describe preventing entry or access; here, REFUSE means to decline admission. |
| Green | Folders on a Mac | DESKTOP, MUSIC, PICTURES, TRASH | These are familiar Mac folder or location names. |
| Blue | Medicine formats | CREAM, PATCH, SPRAY, TABLET | Each is a form in which medicine may be delivered or supplied. |
| Purple | Things that open like a clam | CLAM, COMPACT, LAPTOP, WAFFLE IRON | A compact, laptop, and waffle iron open on hinges in a way likened to a clam. |
Was REFUSE grouped with TRASH?
No. The two words can both bring garbage to mind, making them a tempting decoy pair. TRASH belongs with DESKTOP, MUSIC, and PICTURES in the Mac locations group. REFUSE belongs with BAR, BLOCK, and DENY in the entry-prohibition group.
#1 Best Overall
A practical way through this board
The answer guide’s suggested route is to spot the concrete medicine formats first, then recognize the Mac locations and entry-prohibition verbs. The four remaining words make the more figurative clam-opening group. This is one useful path through this particular board, not a universal solving rule.
What Connections asks you to do
The New York Times Help Center describes Connections as a game in which “Players are given 16 words and must find groups of four items that share something in common.” It also notes that each puzzle has one solution and can be tricky because words may seem to fit multiple categories. Yellow is the easiest color and purple the trickiest.
Rank #2
The game is free to play on the Games app, NYTimes.com, nytimes.com/theathletic, and the News app. It releases daily at midnight in the player’s timezone. The Help Center also explains that subscribers can view personal statistics and Connections Bot feedback; no organization-published solve rate or difficulty score for puzzle #710 is established here.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Playing past Connections puzzles
The New York Times archive is a digital option for replaying past puzzles. The Help Center says access requires an All Access or Games subscription; its listed archive dates back to June 12, 2023. Archived games affect some statistics but not streaks.
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