Connections Hints
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — December 11, 2025
Jump to a hint level
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
← Back to hint toolLoad any date with the interactive hint ladder
Word grid
All 16 words, sorted alphabetically. Group them into four categories of four.
ARE
ARES
BOWL
BUNNY
DEVIL
EARS
ELLE
GNOME
GRILL
JACKET
QUE
QUEUE
SEAR
SERA
SHED
SPRINKLER
Themes
The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.
THINGS SEEN IN A YARDStraightforward
ANAGRAMSModerate
LETTER HOMOPHONESTricky
DUST ___Devious
One word per group
Theme name plus one word from each category.
THINGS SEEN IN A YARDStraightforward
COMMON FEATURES YOU MIGHT SPOT OUTSIDE A HOME+ 3 more…
ANAGRAMSModerate
THESE FOUR WORDS ARE ALL SCRAMBLED VERSIONS OF EACH OTHER+ 3 more…
LETTER HOMOPHONESTricky
EACH OF THESE SOUNDS LIKE A LETTER OF THE ALPHABET WHEN SPOKEN ALOUD+ 3 more…
DUST ___Devious
WORDS THAT CAN FOLLOW DUST TO MAKE A COMMON COMPOUND WORD OR PHRASE+ 3 more…
Full solution
THINGS SEEN IN A YARDStraightforward
GNOME,GRILL,SHED,SPRINKLER
GNOME, GRILL, SHED, and SPRINKLER are all things commonly found in a residential yard or garden.
ANAGRAMSModerate
ARES,EARS,SEAR,SERA
ARES, EARS, SEAR, and SERA are all anagrams of each other, each using the letters A, E, R, S.
LETTER HOMOPHONESTricky
ARE,ELLE,QUE,QUEUE
ARE sounds like 'R', ELLE sounds like 'L', QUE sounds like 'Q', and QUEUE sounds like 'Q' — each word is a homophone of a letter name.
DUST ___Devious
BOWL,BUNNY,DEVIL,JACKET
BOWL (Dust Bowl), BUNNY (dust bunny), DEVIL (dust devil), and JACKET (dust jacket) all combine with DUST to form familiar compound words or phrases.