Connections Hints

Sunday, December 28, 2025

Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — December 28, 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.

BOX
CONSTANT
DUSKY
ENVELOPE
GEAR
MAILER
NOODLE
PAWL
PERRIER
RATCHET
SOXER
SPRING
STATIC
STATIONARY
STILL
TUBE
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Themes

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

CONTAINERS FOR SHIPPINGStraightforward
UNMOVINGModerate
MECHANICAL WATCH PARTSTricky
DOGS WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGEDDevious
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One word per group

Theme name plus one word from each category.

CONTAINERS FOR SHIPPINGStraightforward
THINGS YOU MIGHT USE TO SEND A PACKAGE THROUGH THE MAIL+ 3 more…
UNMOVINGModerate
WORDS THAT MEAN NOT MOVING OR NOT CHANGING+ 3 more…
MECHANICAL WATCH PARTSTricky
COMPONENTS FOUND INSIDE A MECHANICAL TIMEPIECE+ 3 more…
DOGS WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGEDDevious
CHANGE THE FIRST LETTER OF EACH WORD TO GET A DOG BREED+ 3 more…
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Full solution
CONTAINERS FOR SHIPPINGStraightforward
BOX,ENVELOPE,MAILER,TUBE

BOX, ENVELOPE, MAILER, and TUBE are all containers used for shipping or mailing items.

UNMOVINGModerate
CONSTANT,STATIC,STATIONARY,STILL

CONSTANT, STATIC, STATIONARY, and STILL all mean fixed, not moving, or unchanging.

MECHANICAL WATCH PARTSTricky
GEAR,PAWL,RATCHET,SPRING

GEAR, PAWL, RATCHET, and SPRING are all parts found in the mechanism of a mechanical watch.

DOGS WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGEDDevious
DUSKY,NOODLE,PERRIER,SOXER

DUSKY→HUSKY, NOODLE→POODLE, PERRIER→TERRIER, SOXER→BOXER — each word becomes a dog breed when its first letter is changed.

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