Connections Hints

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — May 14, 2025

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Show the word gridAll 16 words — you figure out the groups
Show the themesCategory names only, no words revealed
One word per groupTheme name + one word per category
Full solutionAll words and explanations
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Word grid

All 16 words, sorted alphabetically. Group them into four categories of four.

BABE
BOLT
DRAW
DUMBO
GNOME
HYPER
KILO
KNEE
META
MNEMONIC
NEO
PSYCHE
PULL
SUCK
TED
WICK
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Themes

The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.

ABSORB USING CAPILLARY ACTIONStraightforward
GREEK PREFIXESModerate
TITULAR TALKING ANIMALS OF FILMTricky
STARTING WITH SILENT LETTERSDevious
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One word per group

Theme name plus one word from each category.

ABSORB USING CAPILLARY ACTIONStraightforward
WAYS A SPONGE OR CANDLE WICK MIGHT TAKE IN LIQUID+ 3 more…
GREEK PREFIXESModerate
WORD BEGINNINGS BORROWED FROM ANCIENT GREECE+ 3 more…
TITULAR TALKING ANIMALS OF FILMTricky
FAMOUS MOVIE ANIMALS WHO COULD SPEAK OR WERE THE STAR OF THEIR FILM+ 3 more…
STARTING WITH SILENT LETTERSDevious
THESE WORDS BEGIN WITH A LETTER YOU DON'T ACTUALLY PRONOUNCE+ 3 more…
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Full solution
ABSORB USING CAPILLARY ACTIONStraightforward
DRAW,PULL,SUCK,WICK

DRAW, PULL, SUCK, and WICK all describe the process of absorbing liquid through capillary action, like a candle wick drawing wax or a paper towel soaking up water.

GREEK PREFIXESModerate
HYPER,KILO,META,NEO

HYPER, KILO, META, and NEO are all prefixes of Greek origin commonly used in English to modify words (e.g., hyperactive, kilometer, metamorphosis, neonatal).

TITULAR TALKING ANIMALS OF FILMTricky
BABE,BOLT,DUMBO,TED

BABE (the talking pig), BOLT (the dog), DUMBO (the elephant), and TED (the teddy bear) are all titular talking or anthropomorphized animal characters from well-known films.

STARTING WITH SILENT LETTERSDevious
GNOME,KNEE,MNEMONIC,PSYCHE

GNOME (silent G), KNEE (silent K), MNEMONIC (silent M), and PSYCHE (silent P) all begin with silent letters that are written but not spoken aloud.

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