New York Times Connections Hints and Answers for #549 December 11, 2024

Connections is here again with another way to challenge your brain. Today’s puzzle is the perfect combination of difficult words and impossible categories, making this one a very hard puzzle to complete on your own.

If you know the rules of how to play Connections well, you know that there are no in-game hints, and these puzzles can get really hard. If you are stuck on this one, this article is here to help with all sorts of clues and spoilers to help you on your way to a win.

Words in the NYT Connections Puzzle #549 for December 11, 2024

The Connections puzzle for today contains the words: Hairspray, Rosebud, Pokemon, Primate, Xanadu, Jazzercise, Ketchum, Snowglobe, Paralympics, Paypal, Paradise, Wikipedia, Seventh Heaven, Salad Dressing, Magic 8 Ball, and Shangri-La.

What is the Definition of Xanadu?

The definition of Xanadu, according to Dictionary.com, is a “place of great beauty, luxury, and contentment.” It is also the name of a movie starring Olivia Newton-John from the 1980s; she also sang a song for the movie called Xanadu. There is an AI company/program called Xanadu as well.

What is the Definition of Ketchum?

Ketchum Inc. is a global public relations firm, but it is also the last name of Ash Ketchum, who is the main character of most Pokemon TV shows and manga.

What is the Definition of Shangri-La?

Shangri-La is a fictional Utopia in Tibet’s Kunlun Mountains in the book Lost Horizon. There is also a chain of hotels called Shangri-La as well as a song by ELO.

Hints for the NYT Connections Puzzle

If you are here for the hints for this minimalist puzzle game, you can find them in this section. Each expandable section below contains a different kind of hint, all covered up until you are ready to open it up with the Read More buttons.

Some General Hints for the Whole Connections Puzzle

1. None of these groups are about compound words, but one of the categories is about combining words together.

2. Primate and Rosebud go in the game group.

3. None of these categories are about tech companys, big websites, or anything similar to that.

Yellow NYT Connections Category Hints

Here are some hints for the yellow/straightforward answer in this
innovative puzzle game
:
Arcadia, Eden, Zion, Elysian Fields.

Yellow Connections Category Answer

The category for the yellow/straightforward
Connections
is
Utopia.

Yellow Connections Category Answer and All Four Words

The answer to the yellow/straightforward
Connections
is
Utopia.

The four words for this group in the puzzle are:
Paradise, Seventh Heaven, Shangri-La, Xanadu.

Green NYT Connections Category Hints

Here are some hints for the green/medium difficulty answer:
Shake it like a Polaroid picture!

Green Connections Category Answer

The category for the green/medium difficulty
Connections
is
Things You Shake.

Green Connections Category Answer and All Four Words

The answer to the green/medium difficulty
Connections
is
Things You Shake.

The four words for this group in the puzzle are:
Hairspray, Magic 8 Ball, Salad Dressing, Snowglobe.

Blue NYT Connections Category Hints

Here are some hints for the blue/difficult answer:
Other things that could go in this category: Bollywood, Juneteeth, Obamacare.

Blue Connections Category Answer

The category for the blue/difficult
Connections
is
Proper Noun Portmanteaux.

Blue Connections Category Answer and All Four Words

The answer to the blue/difficult
Connections
is
Proper Noun Portmanteaux.

The four words for this group in the puzzle are:
Jazzercise, Paralympics, Pokemon, Wikipedia.

Purple NYT Connections Category Hints

Here are some hints for the purple/tricky answer in this
mobile puzzle game
:
Each of these words end in a word that has the same meaning.

Purple Connections Category Answer

The category for the purple/tricky difficulty in
Connections
is
Ending in Synonyms for “Friend.”

Purple Connections Category Answer and All Four Words

The answer to the purple/tricky difficulty in
Connections
is
Ending in Synonyms for “Friend.”

The four words for this group in the puzzle are:
Ketchum, Paypal, Primate, Rosebud.

Answers for Today’s NYT Connections #549 for December 11, 2024

Searching for the whole answer to this New York Times Games Connections? In the section below, you can find all the categories and which words go in them for today’s puzzle.

• Yellow – Utopia
  : Paradise, Seventh Heaven, Shangri-La, Xanadu
• Green – Things You Shake
  : Hairspray, Magic 8 Ball, Salad Dressing, Snowglobe
• Blue – Proper Noun Portmanteaux
  : Jazzercise, Paralympics, Pokemon, Wikipedia
• Purple – Ending in Synonyms for “Friend”
  : Ketchum, Paypal, Primate, Rosebud

Want to play? Check out the New York Times Games Connections website available on almost any device with a browser.