New York Times Connections: Hints, Answers Unveiled for Puzzle #562

The New York Times Games presents Connections, a daily word puzzle, even on Christmas Eve! Need a hand solving this relaxing brain teaser? This guide provides hints, clues, and even spoilers for Connections puzzle #562 (December 24, 2024). Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting out, we've got you covered.

Puzzle Words: Lions, Tigers, Bears, Oh My, Dear, Jays, Bills, Use, Bye, Bees, Please, Close, Tight, Gimme, Ease, and Intimate.

Hints & Clues (No Major Spoilers!)

Here are some helpful tips to get you started without revealing the entire solution:

General Hints:

1. Forget sports teams!
2. Animal categories aren't the focus here.
3. "Bye" and "Gimme" belong together.

Category Hints & Answers:

Below, you'll find hints and answers broken down by color, increasing in difficulty:

Yellow (Easy):

Hint: Think classic movie quotes.

Answer: A famous line from The Wizard of Oz.

Words: (Revealed below in the full solution section)

Green (Medium):

Hint: Close relationships.

Answer: Describes the nature of a close friendship.

Words: (Revealed below in the full solution section)

Blue (Hard):

Hint: Consider how these words sound phonetically, and think plural letters. Other possibilities: Seas, Geeze, Eyes.

Answer: Words that sound like plural letters.

Words: (Revealed below in the full solution section)

Purple (Tricky):

Hint: Think popular song titles, and consider what happens when you triple the word.

Answer: Song titles that are created by tripling the given word.

Words: (Revealed below in the full solution section)

Complete Solution (Spoiler Alert!)

Ready for the answers? Here's the complete solution to today's puzzle:

• Yellow - Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!: Bears, Lions, Oh my, Tigers
• Green - Beloved, as a Friend: Close, Dear, Intimate, Tight
• Blue - Words that Sound Like Plural Letters: Bees, Ease, Jays, Use
• **Purple - When Tripled, Hit Song