"Connections" December 17: Hints and answers for puzzle #555

Connections can be a satisfying game to solve, but also challenging, so that's why Newsweek has put together some handy tips to help you solve today's game.

The game is published daily by The New York Times and is their second-most popular puzzle after Wordle.

Below are instructions on how to play and clues to help you solve the puzzle, but the answers appear at the end of the article, so scroll with caution.

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 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 #555 Hints for Tuesday, December 17

Newsweek is here with some hints to help you identify Tuesday's categories:

Yellow: A display of bravery or valor.

Green: Different kinds of paths where vehicles can drive down.

Blue: Types of papyrus.

Purple: Surfaces on which people such as Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal play.

Connections #555 Answers for Tuesday, December 17

Yellow Category: INTREPIDITY

Yellow Words: Grit, Heart, Nerve, Pluck

Green Category: ROAD

Green Words: Artery, Avenue, Drag, Drive

Blue Category: KINDS OF PAPER

Blue Words: Construction, Graph, Tissue, Wax

Purple Category: KINDS OF TENNIS COURTS

Purple Words: Carpet, Clay, Grass, Hard

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 Times, for which Newsweek also provides daily hints.