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Game #651 is identified as Sunday, March 23, 2025—not Saturday. Here are spoiler-light hints first, followed by the categories and full answers for today’s 16 words.
How Connections works
In the daily New York Times word game, sort 16 words into four groups of four based on a shared connection. Submit a group to test it; each incorrect guess costs a life, and four mistakes end the game. You can shuffle the board, and play is available on the NYT website or Games app.
Today’s 16 words
SMART, AIRPLANE, BACK, POCKET, GRAB, BUTTONS, STOP, FLY, FAIRY, ENTRANCE, BLACK, RIVET, MACK, WRIST, ABSORB, HOSPITAL.
Hints, from subtle to more specific
Read only as far as you want to avoid spoilers.
- Yellow: Draw everyone’s attention.
- Green: Like a butterfly, anchor, or penguin.
- Blue: Like maker or tower.
- Purple: Clap your hands and say these a few times.
Categories and answers
Spoilers below: the category names and all four groups follow.
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- The game where _______ minds think alike!
- Prepare yourself for Blank Slate, a game of addicting predictions! How well can you put your finger on what everyone's thinking?
- Pick a Word Cue card, write the word you think best completes the phrase, and try to match it to anther player's word without giving a single hint
- Easy to learn, quick to play, and fun for the whole family; just grab a slate, write a word, and get ready to make a match. Great for large groups or small gatherings!
- Includes: Scoreboard, 8 dry-erase slates, 250 doubled-sided word cue cards, rules
Yellow — Captivate
ABSORB, ENTRANCE, GRAB, RIVET.
Green — Things with wings
AIRPLANE, FAIRY, FLY, HOSPITAL. The last word refers to a hospital wing.
Blue — Words that modify “watch”
POCKET, SMART, STOP, WRIST.
Purple — Words repeated in “Miss Mary Mack”
BACK, BLACK, BUTTONS, MACK. The connection is to the clapping-song lyric.
Rank #2
- STRATEGIC THINKING: Elevate the fun with this game, where players strategically choose word combinations, making it perfect for party games for adults and family, enhancing both depth and complexity.
- MULTIPLAYER FUN: Engage in multiplayer entertainment with Subtext Showdown, perfect for game nights with 3 to 6 participants, promoting communication and creative thinking in the realm of adult games for game night.
- POINTS OF PRECISION: Accumulate points by adeptly deducing associations or demonstrating telepathic synchronicity, ensuring a gratifying experience for effective communication and intuitive connections in adult board games.
- RACE AGAINST TIME: With a ticking clock, players must think quickly and make their associations before time runs out, adding an exciting element of urgency to the game.
- EXCITING PERFECT GIFT: Combine phrases from the 16 cards to form associations that friends can decode, providing an exhilarating challenge in teen-friendly card games, perfect gift for any occasion.
Why the date is listed as March 23, 2025
The matching guide for puzzle #651 identifies it as Sunday, March 23, 2025. The title’s “Saturday” conflicts with that weekday: March 23, 2024 was a Saturday, but it was a different puzzle. The date correction is supported by Kris Holt’s Forbes guide to game #651; the official NYT game page was not available for independent confirmation.
The Connections archive is available to readers with an NYT All Access or Games subscription; that archive access requirement should not be confused with access to the daily puzzle.
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Rank #4
- UNIQUE COOPERATIVE WORD GAME: Write one clue connecting two keywords on each clover leaf. Teammates guess which keyword pair each clue links in this inventive, laugh-out-loud word association game
- CREATIVE PARTY GAME FOR ADULTS: So Clover! challenges players to make unexpected word connections. The more creative your clues, the higher your team scores in this hilarious adult party game
- GREAT FOR WORD GAME FANS: So Clover! takes cooperative word games to the next level with a unique multi-clue clover structure that delivers fresh, surprising, and satisfying creative connections
- FAST, FUN & SOCIAL: Plays in under 30 minutes with 3-6 players ages 10 and up. So Clover! is quick to setup, with no filler, just pure creative energy and highly collaborative family fun from the very first round
- IDEAL GIFT FOR ADULTS & FAMILIES: So Clover! is the party game gift for anyone who loves wordplay and creative thinking. Easy to teach in minutes, endlessly engaging at any family game night
Rank #3
- Two teams race to identify their agents from a 5×5 grid, guided by a spymaster who knows each card’s identity
- Spymasters give one-word clues and a number to link multiple cards, encouraging creative thinking
- Teammates guess words matching the clue while avoiding the other team’s agents, bystanders, and the assassin
- Revealing the assassin ends the game instantly, adding high-stakes tension
- Teams may guess up to the clue number plus one, allowing strategic risks or revisiting old clues
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