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Today's NYT Connections Hints and Answers: Help for May 17, #341

Here are some hints, and the answers, for Connections No. 341.

Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
Expertise Breaking news, entertainment, lifestyle, travel, food, shopping and deals, product reviews, money and finance, video games, pets, history, books, technology history, and generational studies Credentials
  • Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year"​ award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
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Gael Cooper
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New York Times Connections word game

Connections can pose a real challenge. Every day, we'll provide hints and answers.

 James Martin/CNET

Need the answers for the May 17 New York Times Connections puzzle? To me, Wordle is more of a vocabulary test, but Connections is more of a brainteaser. You're given 16 words and asked to put them into four groups that are somehow connected. Sometimes they're obvious, but the game editor knows how to trick you by using words that can fit in more than one group. 

Do you also play Wordle? We've got today's Wordle answer and hints too.

And although it's still in beta, I have tips and tricks for Strands too. (Bacon number? Come on, people!)

How to play Connections

Playing is easy. Winning is hard. Look at the 16 words and mentally assign them to related groups of four. Click on the four words you think go together. The groups are coded by color, though you don't know what goes where until you see the answers. The yellow group is the easiest, then green, then blue, and purple is the toughest. Look at the words carefully, and think about related terms. Sometimes the connection has to do with just a part of the word. Once, four words were grouped because each started with the name of a rock band, including "Rushmore" and "Journeyman."

Read more: Is Connections the New Wordle? Hints and Tips for Playing

Hints for today's Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest, yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Contemptible.

Green group hint: Get in touch with.

Blue group hint: Elements of a certain art style.

Purple group hint: Related to brews.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: The Entire Alphabet Ranked By Letter Popularity

Answers for today's Connections groups

Yellow group: Corrupt.

Green group: Reach out to.

Blue group: Classic still life components.

Purple group: Beer ____.

Read more: LinkedIn Boards the Wordle Train and Launches 3 Online Games

What are today's Connections answers?

The yellow words in today's Connections

The theme is corrupt. The answers are base, dirty, low and vile.

The green words in today's Connections

The theme is reach out. The answers are contact, message, ping and text.

The blue words in today's Connections

The theme is classic still life components. The answers are fruit, pitcher, skull and tablecloth.

The purple words in today's Connections

The theme is beer ____. The answers are batter, can, garden and pong.