NYT Connections Answers Today (May 20): Sleuths, Straw, & Sleep. Here's How To Solve

Connections tasks players with sorting 16 seemingly unrelated words into four groups of four, based on a shared theme.

Each day’s Connections puzzle refreshes on the New York Times’ Games site.

Source : Screenshot/New York Times

NYT Connections Answers: The New York Times’ daily brain teaser Connections brought a crafty twist this Tuesday, May 20, as players faced off against a grid of 16 deceptively simple words. Puzzle #708 delivered a fresh challenge with some clever curveballs and sly semantic traps—but with the right clues, today’s categories were just within reach.

For newcomers, Connections tasks players with sorting 16 seemingly unrelated words into four groups of four, based on a shared theme. But don’t be fooled by surface similarities—the game is notorious for its red herrings and wordplay designed to mislead even seasoned solvers.

Let’s break down what made today’s puzzle a head-scratcher and how the clues steered players in the right direction.

Crunching the Numbers: Accounting Terms Take the Easy Win

Today’s easiest category, marked in yellow, was a no-brainer for anyone familiar with financial jargon. Words like “Ledger,” “Log,” “Record,” and “Register” fell neatly into the theme of Account Book. These bookkeeping basics were a smooth start for solvers.

As the hint put it: “An accountant would easily solve this one.” It’s safe to say many players likely began their Connections journey here, using the reliable thread of financial vocabulary to gain early momentum.

Barnyard Bash: Farming Words Gather in Green

The green group transported players from the office to the countryside with a category themed Seen in a Barn. Words like “Bale,” “Horse,” “Pitchfork,” and “Trough” fit this pastoral set, clearly evoking a rural farm scene.

The clue? “Commonly found on a farm.” While straightforward, this category still required attention—particularly as words like “Bale” or “Pitchfork” could have served double duty in other contexts.

Kid Detectives Crack the Blue Group

Perhaps the most charming of today’s categories came courtesy of literature’s junior gumshoes. The blue group spotlighted Detectives of Kid-Lit, with “Brown,” “Drew,” “Hardy,” and “Holmes” representing fictional sleuths beloved across generations.

“Look through your magnifying glass... It's what these characters would do,” teased the clue. From Nancy Drew to Sherlock Holmes, this group stirred nostalgia for classic mystery-solving tales.

An added layer of trickiness: most of these were surnames, but the puzzle subtly warned that last names showed up across groups, not just here—another deliberate attempt to mislead.

Sweet Dreams Are Made of Purple

The hardest group, coded purple, tapped into bedtime language. The theme? Words Before “Bed”. “Canopy,” “Day,” “Murphy,” and “Water” all commonly precede the word “bed,” though not always in the literal sense.

This theme prompted players to think spatially and metaphorically. A “Murphy bed” folds into the wall, a “canopy bed” adds elegance, and a “water bed” is a retro novelty that refuses to die. Not exactly a sleepy category to crack.

Final Answers: The Full Breakdown

Here’s how today’s puzzle shook out:

• Yellow – Account Book: Ledger, Log, Record, Register
• Green – Seen in a Barn: Bale, Horse, Pitchfork, Trough
• Blue – Detectives of Kid-Lit: Brown, Drew, Hardy, Holmes
• Purple – Words Before “Bed”: Canopy, Day, Murphy, Water

Each day’s Connections puzzle refreshes on the New York Times’ Games site. Whether you're an aspiring detective or a farming enthusiast, today's edition proved there's a place for everyone at the puzzle table—just don’t make that fourth mistake.

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