NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, February 23 (game #623)

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 #623) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PICKLE
• GRATE
• MILK
• TEA
• JAM
• SCRAPE
• CAN
• BUTTER
• GRIND
• BEANS
• SYRUP
• FERMENT
• FREEZE
• GUTS
• HOT SAUCE
• GNASH

NYT Connections today (game #623) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• GREEN: Longer lasting produce 
• YELLOW: Smoosh it up
• BLUE: First meal of the day 
• PURPLE: “Drop” into a common phrase

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 #623) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• GREEN: WAYS TO PRESERVE FOOD 
• YELLOW: RUB TOGETHER 
• BLUE: BREAKFAST CONDIMENTS 
• PURPLE: PROVERBIAL THINGS THAT ARE SPILLED 

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

NYT Connections today (game #623) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #623, are…

• GREEN: WAYS TO PRESERVE FOOD CAN, FERMENT, FREEZE, PICKLE
• YELLOW: RUB TOGETHER GNASH, GRATE, GRIND, SCRAPE
• BLUE: BREAKFAST CONDIMENTS BUTTER, HOT SAUCE, JAM, SYRUP
• PURPLE: PROVERBIAL THINGS THAT ARE SPILLED BEANS, GUTS, MILK, TEA

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• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

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I found today tough going and got myself in a real muddle with thinking I was looking for pancake ingredients and then when I ruled that out some combination of breakfast items – MILK, TEA, JAM and BUTTER are all key factors of tea and toast.

WAYS TO PRESERVE FOOD was far easier to get.

The strangest preserved food I’ve ever had was some shark meat that had been covered in salt and buried under sand and rocks for two months. This was in Iceland and I only found out what it was after I’d eaten it, along with being teased (or at least I hope I was being teased) about another way they preserve this particular delicacy. Chewy and pongy is my 2-star review.

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

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Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, 22 February, game #622)

• YELLOW: MEMBER OF A TEAM WITH THE MOST CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE SPORTS CANADIEN, CELTIC, PACKER, YANKEE
• GREEN: CREATE SOME VOLUME/TEXTURE IN HAIR CRIMP, CURL, FEATHER, TEASE
• BLUE: SUPPLIES FOR MACARONI ART GLITTER, GLUE, MACARONI, PAPER
• PURPLE: WORDS AFTER "GOLDEN" DOODLE, GOOSE, PARACHUTE, ROD

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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.