NYT Connections Answers Today (May 14): A Mix Of Greek Prefixes & Talking Animals
NYT's May 14 Connections puzzle mixed Greek prefixes, silent letters, and talking animals into one brain-bending challenge.
NYT Connections Answers: If today's New York Times Connections puzzle had you scratching your head, you’re not alone. Puzzle #702 threw a curveball with themes ranging from Greek linguistics to capillary action — yes, really. But don't give up just yet. Here’s a full breakdown to help you decipher the madness and maybe even learn a thing or two in the process.
Capillary Confusion? That’s the Yellow Group
One of today’s sneakiest clusters was all about absorption. The yellow set grouped together Draw, Pull, Suck, and Wick — all verbs that can be linked through the concept of drawing liquid through narrow spaces, or what science types call “capillary action.”
It’s not your typical watercooler conversation, but it makes sense when you think about how a wick works in a candle or how a sponge slurps up water. This group was labelled as the easiest (yellow), but judging by online chatter, it may have tripped up more players than expected.
Greek To You? Meet the Green Group
The green batch today had a classical twist, bringing in Greek prefixes to test your etymological knowledge. The correct words? Hyper, Kilo, Meta, and Neo.
These prefixes are commonly seen in modern English — think kilogram, metadata, hyperactive, and neonatal. But unless you’ve brushed up on your ancient Greek lately, this category might have made you pause. Still, it was a satisfying "aha!" moment for many solvers.
Talking Animals Take Over the Blue Set
Today’s blue group had a cinematic flair. This set highlighted titular talking animals in film, with Babe, Bolt, Dumbo, and Ted making the cut.
From a courageous pig to a thunderbolt-powered pup, and even a foul-mouthed teddy bear, these characters have all headlined their own movies. This group was ranked medium difficulty, but if you’re a fan of animated or CGI-animal blockbusters, you likely breezed through this one.
Silent But Tricky: The Purple Puzzle
The toughest group? Purple, as usual. This set focused on words that begin with silent letters — a phonetic pitfall for the uninitiated. The four words were Gnome, Knee, Mnemonic, and Psyche.
It’s the kind of linguistic tripwire that reminds you English is a borrowed language — one that never returned its library books. For many players, this was the final boss in today’s challenge.
If you didn’t crack all four groups before hitting your fourth mistake, don’t beat yourself up. As the NYT reminds players: “Your job is to figure out what these themes are... but be wary, because a lot of the time there are deceptive red herring connections placed purely to throw you off!”
Now that the puzzle’s secrets are laid bare, you might just be ready to take on tomorrow’s challenge, armed with a little more insight and a few more silent letters tucked up your sleeve.
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