New York— The New York Times’ viral word association game, Connections, continues to engage players across the country with its clever puzzles and daily challenges. If you’re stuck on today’s grid or just want to check your answers, here’s a full breakdown of the June 17 Connections game — including hints, categories, and the final word groupings.
Puzzle #737 for June 17 has a solid mix of logical and lateral-thinking groupings, with a few tricky pairings designed to mislead even seasoned players.
How to Play NYT Connections
Each day, players are given 16 words arranged in a 4×4 grid. The goal is to organize them into four groups of four, with each group linked by a shared theme. The themes are sorted by difficulty:
- 🟨 Yellow – Easy
- 🟩 Green – Medium
- 🟦 Blue – Hard
- 🟪 Purple – Most difficult
What makes Connections unique is the abstract nature of some categories, which often require wordplay, cultural references, or associative thinking.
Hints for Today’s Connections – June 17, 2025
Before we reveal the full answers, here are today’s theme hints to help guide your solving process:
- 🟨 Trip planning considerations
- 🟩 Mental and physical fortitude
- 🟦 Things that can go wrong with a website
- 🟪 Classic Disney animated characters
For those needing a nudge, here’s one word from each group:
- 🟨 CAR
- 🟩 SPIRIT
- 🟦 FREEZE
- 🟪 FAWN
Full Answer Breakdown for NYT Connections – June 17
If you’re ready for the full reveal, here are today’s official groupings:
🟨 Yellow – Things to book for a vacation:
CAR, FLIGHT, HOTEL, TOUR
🟩 Green – Mettle (fortitude):
FIGHT, GRIT, RESOLVE, SPIRIT
🟦 Blue – Bad things for a website to do:
FREEZE, GLITCH, QUIT, TIMEOUT
🟪 Purple – Figures in classic Disney animated films:
ELEPHANT (Dumbo), FAWN (Bambi), MARIONETTE (Pinocchio), MOUSE (Mickey Mouse)
Today’s puzzle was moderately challenging, with the green and purple groups being slightly easier to isolate for players familiar with common themes or classic Disney films. The blue category—”bad things for a website to do”—proved trickier for many players due to the abstract nature of tech-related terminology.
Community Reactions and Tips
Frequent solvers noted that the positioning of similar words helped identify the green “mettle” group quickly. Others lucked into the purple Disney group through visual associations between the animal terms. The blue group was labeled by some players as “nebulous,” requiring a bit more guesswork and trial.
If you’re a fan of Connections and want to get better, consider discussing your strategy with others on social platforms or puzzle communities. Many players share their logic, mistakes, and tips, creating a rich space for improving at the game
Whether you solved today’s Connections puzzle or needed a little help, part of the fun is in the challenge and discovery. The New York Times continues to grow its daily game portfolio, and Connections has quickly become a favorite alongside Wordle and Spelling Bee.
Check back tomorrow for the June 18 hints and answers — and don’t forget to share the game with your friends to compare results!