NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, April 28 (game #687)

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #687) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• MOUSSE
• DRAIN
• BARE
• TIRE
• HAIR
• BORE
• TIRE MARK
• EXHAUST
• PLAIN
• SPRAY
• SPARE
• FIBER
• WAX
• SIMPLE
• FINGERPRINT
• GEL

NYT Connections today (game #687) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: For styling
• GREEN: Pared back 
• BLUE: Vital evidence
• PURPLE: Pooped

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #687) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: HAIR PRODUCTS 
• GREEN: AUSTERE 
• BLUE: CLUES AT A CRIME SCENE 
• PURPLE: WEARY 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #687) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #687, are…

• YELLOW: HAIR PRODUCTS GEL, MOUSSE, SPRAY, WAX
• GREEN: AUSTERE BARE, PLAIN, SIMPLE, SPARE
• BLUE: CLUES AT A CRIME SCENE FIBER, FINGERPRINT, HAIR, TIRE MARK
• PURPLE: WEARY BORE, DRAIN, EXHAUST, TIRE

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• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

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I’m sure I wasn’t alone in thinking car parts could be a common thread today, with EXHAUST and TIRE leading my thinking. Instead, it was the other meaning of both those words that made up a group.

I’m staggered that I got a purple group so early in the game. Usually it’s the quartet that baffles me and that I solve last when there are no other alternatives, but today it seemed rather obvious.

CLUES AT A CRIME SCENE was trickier, but thoughts that they were all things that could identify us led me to connect this group.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

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Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, April 27, game #686)

• YELLOW: CALCULATOR BUTTONS EQUALS, MINUS, PERCENT, TIMES
• GREEN: AMOUNTS OF HAIR LOCK, SHOCK, THATCH, TUFT
• BLUE: SALTY SNACK UNIT COMBO, GOLDFISH, RUFFLE, TAKI
• PURPLE: SWEDISH ____ CHEF, FISH, MASSAGE, MEATBALL

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What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.