'Connections' December 14: Hints and answers for game #552

Connections is a daily game that does not rest just because it is the weekend.

But if you're feeling a bit fatigued after a long week at work, Newsweek is here to help you with some hints and tips to solve today's puzzle.

The answers for Saturday's game appear at the end of the article, so be careful scrolling down if you want to find them yourself.

How to Play 'Connections'

The categories vary in difficulty from yellow to green to blue to purple, with yellow considered the easiest category and purple the trickiest.

For example, a recent game linked the words "braid," "bun," "pony" and "twist" under the category: "Ways to wear your hair up." This was a blue category.

Once you have selected four words, you click the "submit" button. If your choices match a category, they will appear in the category color and disappear from the grid. If they are incorrect, however, they will remain gray and stay on the board.

If you are stuck, try selecting the "shuffle" button to move the words to a different place on the grid.

"My top advice is to hold off on guessing as long as you can," Wyna Liu, the game's editor at The New York Times, previously told Newsweek.

"You might spot a clear category and think you see five words that fit, but don't try guessing the four until you're sure which one doesn't belong. Jumping in too soon can cost you a turn."

'Connections' #552 Hints for Saturday, December 14

Newsweek has some hints to help you with Saturday's puzzle.

Yellow: Names of scaly creatures that swim under water.

Green: Words you might hear from an auctioneer.

Blue: Ways to pay with cash around the world.

Purple: These words can appear before another word that means something you can drink from.

'Connections' #552 Answers for Saturday, December 14

Yellow Category: FISH

Yellow Words: Fluke, Mullet, Sole, Tang

Green Category: WORDS IN AN AUCTION-ENDING PHRASE

Green Words: Going, Once, Sold, Twice

Blue Category: GLOBAL CURRENCIES

Blue Words: Pound, Real, Sol, Yuan

Purple Category: WORDS BEFORE "CUP"

Purple Words: Butter, Diva, Solo, World

Did you guess the answers correctly? If so, congratulations. If not, there will be another opportunity to crack the code tomorrow.

Connections is released at midnight in your local time zone and Newsweek will be back tomorrow with another round of hints and tips.

In the meantime, you could try your hand at Wordle—another popular game from The New York Times, for which Newsweek also provides daily hints.