Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle (April 29) Is All About Footwear, Furniture & Hidden Grossness

NYT Connections Answers: If you found yourself scratching your head over today’s New York Times Connections challenge (Puzzle #688), you weren’t alone. The April 30 edition of the brain-teasing word game packed a few sneaky red herrings — but with a bit of guidance, you might just ace it yet. Ready to connect the dots?

Let’s dive into the puzzle highlights and help you solve it without breaking a sweat.

Walk This Way: Clues Hidden in Your Shoes

The 16-word grid for today included: Heel, Room, Dynasty, Face, Gimmick, Standing, Seating, Mildew, Upper, Sole, Regard, Chairs, Capacity, Engross, Tongue, and Image. Quite the eclectic mix — but not without logic.

For starters, the Yellow group, the easiest tier, focused on something you likely put on every day: footwear. Think deeper — or rather, lower — and you'll find your first Connection:

Parts of a Shoe — Heel, Sole, Tongue, Upper.

One user called it “a satisfying a-ha moment” once they realised how literal it was. No overthinking required here.

Make Room: Hosting Clues Linger in the Green Zone

Now, onto the Green group — slightly trickier but still doable if you’ve ever organised a meeting or hosted a dinner party. This category centred around where and how people fit into a space.

Accommodation — Room, Chairs, Seating, Capacity.

It's the only set with two words starting with the same letter, giving observant players an extra breadcrumb trail to follow.

Face Value: Reading Into Reputation

As we move into murkier waters, the Blue group plays on perception — how people see you, your standing in society, and the intangible concept of reputation.

Reputation — Face, Image, Regard, Standing.

Don't be fooled by the potential crossover with physical traits — the Connection here is more metaphorical than visual.

The “Yuck” Factor: Purple Brings the Gross-Out Twist

Finally, the Purple group, the hardest of them all, deals with the ick factor. Specifically, words that end with synonyms for “yuck.” Not the most pleasant theme, but certainly a clever one.

Ending With Synonyms For ‘Yuck’ — Dynasty, Engross, Gimmick, Mildew.

The extra hint described this set as “about unpleasant and hidden things,” and once spotted, the pattern is both gross and glorious.

How the Game Works

For the uninitiated, Connections is a daily puzzle game from the New York Times, much like Wordle but arguably trickier. You're presented with a grid of 16 seemingly unrelated words and tasked with sorting them into four groups of four, each group tied together by a shared theme.

You get a maximum of four mistakes before the game ends, so every guess counts. Each group also comes colour-coded by difficulty: Yellow (easiest), Green, Blue, and Purple (hardest).

Still stuck? Don’t worry — the answers are right above. But next time, try piecing it together with just the hints. Victory feels sweeter when you earn it yourself.

gaming