NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, July 24 (game #774)

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 #774) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• STEEL
• POLE
• GIANT
• SPLIT
• JET
• LUTE
• RIM
• KNICK
• NET
• TITANIC
• GREAT
• BOUNCE
• DIP
• BACKBOARD
• RABE
• MAMMOTH

NYT Connections today (game #774) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Super massive
• GREEN: Gotta go 
• BLUE: Slam dunk
• PURPLE: Sounds like a robbery

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 #774) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: COLOSSAL 
• GREEN: LEAVE QUICKLY 
• BLUE: PARTS OF A BASKETBALL HOOP 
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF SYNONYMS FOR "NAB" 

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

NYT Connections today (game #774) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #774, are…

• YELLOW: COLOSSAL GIANT, GREAT, MAMMOTH, TITANIC
• GREEN: LEAVE QUICKLY BOUNCE, DIP, JET, SPLIT
• BLUE: PARTS OF A BASKETBALL HOOP BACKBOARD, NET, POLE, RIM
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF SYNONYMS FOR "NAB" KNICK, LUTE, RABE, STEEL

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• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

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Of course the very first thing I did today was fall for the trap of connecting the singular versions of the four famous New York sports teams – NET, JET, GIANT, KNICK.

Sometimes these obvious links are a set, sometimes Connections plays a trick on us.

Having fooled me with two basketball teams I should have seen more quickly that there would be a basketball-themed group, with BACKBOARD, NET, POLE and RIM making up PARTS OF A BASKETBALL HOOP. Instead, it took until the end for me to realize.

The word RABE prevented me from getting HOMOPHONES OF SYNONYMS FOR “NAB”. I was all set to write an email of complaint when Google told me it is indeed pronounced “Rob” and is a variety of broccoli. Kudos if you saw it.

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Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, July 23, game #773)

• YELLOW: DREAD-INDUCING FIGURES BOGEYMAN, BUGBEAR, HOBGOBLIN, PHANTOM
• GREEN: KINDS OF STEAKS CHATEAUBRIAND, FLATIRON, PORTERHOUSE, TOMAHAWK
• BLUE: RELATED TO BUYING A HOME APPRAISAL, ESCROW, INSURANCE, MORTGAGE
• PURPLE: ANIMALS ENDING WITH ANIMALS GEODUCK, SEAHORSE, TITMOUSE, WOMBAT

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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.