Cracking the Code: NYT Connections Puzzle #705 - May 16 Breakdown
So today I had a little fun challenge diving into the latest New York Times Connections puzzle — number 705 for May 16 — and I’ve got to say, this one had a nice mix of obvious and sneaky. If you haven’t played Connections before, it’s that daily brain teaser where you group 16 words into 4 distinct categories. Seems easy? Not always. But hey, that’s the charm, right?
Let me walk you through today’s game like you and I are just catching up over coffee.
Right off the bat, the yellow category was pretty straightforward — the clue was “Grow,” and I immediately clicked with it. Words like herb , shrub , tree , and vine were all shouting "Hey, we’re plants!" It felt good to nail that one fast — it’s always a confidence booster when you knock out the easy group early.
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Then came the green group. The hint was “No more,” which turned out to be all about things that indicate an end. The words were dissolve , end , sunset , and interestingly, scrub . That last one threw me off for a minute — I kept thinking of cleaning, but then realized, oh, like when a project or mission gets “scrubbed” — canceled. Clever!
Now the blue group — this one took a little thought. The hint said “Red cape time,” and that immediately brought bulls to mind. After sitting with it a bit, the connections became clear: Michael Jordan , rodeo , Taurus , and Wall Street . All these have some strong “bull” associations — Taurus being the bull zodiac sign, rodeo obviously involving bulls, Wall Street with its famous bull statue, and Jordan? Well, he was just a beast — the GOAT — like a raging bull on the court.
Finally, the purple group. These are always the hardest, and today was no exception. The hint was “Bob the Builder” — super cryptic. Eventually I figured it out: all the words ended with building materials. I’m talking Hollywood , hourglass , Kubrick , and neuroplastic . Wild, right? Wood , glass , brick , and plastic — all hiding at the ends of seemingly unrelated words. These purple puzzles are like riddles within riddles. Definitely the ones you either love to hate or hate to love.
By the end, I felt like I’d been on a small intellectual roller coaster — from the satisfaction of obvious categories to the head-scratching moments of the purple tier. But that’s the fun of Connections. It’s like a mini detective game every morning, giving your brain a shot of espresso.
If you're not already playing, it's honestly worth checking out — especially if you like games like Wordle , Spelling Bee , or crosswords. And with the Times introducing a new Connections Bot, tracking your stats, win streaks, and perfect scores is even more addictive. It’s a perfect mix of logic, wordplay, and sometimes just plain luck.
So, did you crack it today? Or did the purple category leave you scratching your head like it did me for a while? Either way, keep coming back — these puzzles have a way of growing on you.
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