NYT Connections #716 was the puzzle for Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Below are spoiler-free hints, followed by the complete 16-word grid and the four answer groups. Stop at the warning if you are still solving.
NYT Connections #716 was released on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. The puzzle asks you to divide 16 words into four groups of four. If you are still solving, start with the hints below and stop before the spoiler section.
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Hints for Connections #716
The categories are listed from the easiest color group to the trickiest. These clues do not reveal the individual answers yet:
- Yellow: Think of objects that are both round and flat.
- Green: Think of places or features you might find in an airport.
- Blue: Think of ways to play a six-string guitar.
- Purple: Think of objects—or a creature—associated with the enchanted household in Beauty and the Beast.
The 16 words in Connections #716
Here is the complete grid:
CAROUSEL · CANDELABRA · COASTER · CLOCK · SLIDE · GATE · RECORD · TEACUP · BEAST · PICK · LOUNGE · PANCAKE · STRUM · FRISBEE · BEND · FOOD COURT
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Connections #716 answers for May 27
Yellow: ROUND FLAT THINGS
COASTER · FRISBEE · PANCAKE · RECORD
Each of these is commonly associated with a flat, circular shape. A coaster, record, and frisbee are typically round objects, while a pancake is generally round and flat.
Green: AIRPORT FEATURES
CAROUSEL · FOOD COURT · GATE · LOUNGE
These are all places or facilities a traveler may encounter at an airport. In this group, carousel means a baggage carousel rather than an amusement-park ride.
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Blue: GUITAR PLAYING TECHNIQUES
BEND · PICK · SLIDE · STRUM
These words connect to playing a guitar. You can bend a string, use a pick, play with a slide, or strum the strings. The group is deliberately tricky because pick is an object and slide can describe many kinds of movement, but both take on a guitar-related meaning here.
Purple: WHAT CHARACTERS WERE TRANSFORMED INTO IN BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
BEAST · CANDELABRA · CLOCK · TEACUP
This group refers to characters affected by the enchanted curse in the familiar Beauty and the Beast story: the prince became the Beast, while members of the castle household were transformed into objects including a candelabra, clock, and teacup.
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Several entries have plausible alternative meanings, which is central to the design of Connections. Carousel may initially suggest a fairground ride, but it belongs with the airport words because of the baggage carousel. Pick, slide, and bend can all be read in ordinary non-musical ways, yet together with strum they form a strong guitar connection.
A useful solving approach is to identify the most defensible four-word set, remove it mentally, and then test the remaining words. If a proposed category leaves several words that fit another clean pattern, that is often evidence that the connection is intentional. In this grid, the four guitar terms and the four airport features become clearer once their competing meanings are set aside.
How NYT Connections works
Connections presents 16 words and asks players to find four groups of four that share a common link. The categories are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is generally the easiest, followed by green and blue, while purple is usually the most challenging. Each puzzle has one intended solution, but the word choices are designed to create misleading overlaps.
The daily puzzle is released at midnight in the player’s local time zone. The daily Connections game is free to play on supported platforms, and signing in can preserve progress across devices. The archive and some additional statistics or bot features are associated with eligible New York Times Games access. A subscription is not required to solve this particular daily puzzle.
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- Find hundreds of words in an easy to read format - Some words you'll spot easily, but you'll have to search hard for others.
- A wide range of puzzle topics, including movies, actors, sports, cars, and more!
- Variations on the standard word search puzzles are included for extra challenge.
- Answer key in the back of the book.
- Spiral bound, 192 pages.
Want more puzzles after #716?
The publisher has announced Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay, a hardcover collection from The New York Times Games and Wyna Liu. It is described as containing more than 100 Connections puzzles, including exclusive puzzles. The publisher-listed publication date is October 27, 2026, so check the retailer listing for current availability before buying. It is a way to continue with the category-matching format offline, but it should not be treated as a book containing puzzle #716 or this answer key.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Connections #716 released?
NYT Connections #716 was released on Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
What was the yellow answer for Connections #716?
The yellow group was ROUND FLAT THINGS: COASTER, FRISBEE, PANCAKE, and RECORD.
What were the categories in 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.
Do you need a New York Times Games subscription to play Connections #716?
No. The daily Connections puzzle is free to play. Eligible New York Times Games access adds features such as the archive and some additional statistics or bot tools.
The Bottom Line
The answers to NYT Connections #716, released May 27, 2025, are ROUND FLAT THINGS, AIRPORT FEATURES, GUITAR PLAYING TECHNIQUES, and WHAT CHARACTERS WERE TRANSFORMED INTO IN Beauty and the Beast.
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