If today’s Connections wall is threatening your streak, start with light hints and only dive into the spoilers if you must. The puzzle cycles through four themed groups in order of difficulty — Yellow (easiest), Green, Blue, then Purple — and you can play it on the New York Times’ official page at nytimes.com/games/connections.

Category hints (no spoilers)

  • Yellow: A set tied to happiness.
  • Green: Words linked by a classic tongue twister about tiny humans.
  • Blue: Things you pack for travel.
  • Purple: Title characters from films of a specific ’80s moment.

Herring watch: Fairground rides look tempting today, but they’re not a category.

Today’s answers (full spoilers)

  • Yellow — Cheerful: Bouncy, Bright, Merry, Sunny
  • Green — Tongue‑twister set: Baby, Buggy, Bumper, Rubber
  • Blue — Kinds of luggage: Carry‑On, Duffel, Hard‑Shell, Roller
  • Purple — Title characters in ’80s movies: Ferris, Heather, Indiana, Pee‑Wee

Why these groupings fit

  • Cheerful: All four are synonyms or descriptors for a happy, upbeat mood.
  • Tongue‑twister set: The quartet assembles the well‑known phrase built from Baby, Buggy, Bumper, and Rubber — the tongue twister is the connective tissue.
  • Kinds of luggage: Carry‑on, duffel, hard‑shell, and roller are common bag types you’d bring to an airport or toss in a trunk.
  • Title characters in ’80s movies: Ferris (Bueller), Heather (Heathers), Indiana (Jones), and Pee‑Wee (Herman) are all names pulled straight from the titles of prominent ’80s films.

Tip: “Ferris” can bait you into thinking of a ferris wheel — that’s the trap referenced above. Pair it instead with other name‑forward titles for the purple set.

Quick solve flow

  • Scan for the low‑friction yellow synonyms first (Bouncy, Bright, Merry, Sunny).
  • Lock the tongue‑twister quartet together once you spot Baby and Buggy.
  • Group the travel gear next; if “Roller” makes you think amusement park, remember the red herring and align it with bags.
  • Use elimination to finish the purple set of name‑only movie titles.

If you’re still playing on the board, remember you can shuffle to reframe patterns, and the color order is always Yellow → Green → Blue → Purple.