NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, March 31 (game #659)

Looking for NYT Connections answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, plus my commentary on the puzzles.

Mar 30, 2025 - 15:13

NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, March 31 (game #659)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, March 30 (game #658).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #659) - today's words

NYT Connections hints for game 659 on a purple background — (Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

FORE
WORD
DEPOSIT
TOO
PUT AWAY
SCREEN
ATE
BALANCE
BESIDES
HORSE
TRANSFER
TO BOOT
HAD
AS WELL
TOOK IN
WITHDRAWAL

NYT Connections today (game #659) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: Absorbed
GREEN: An addition
BLUE: Banking
PURPLE: Add a word that rhymes with “say”

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #659) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: CONSUMED
GREEN: ALSO
BLUE: ATM OPTIONS
PURPLE: __PLAY

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #659) - the answers

NYT Connections answers for game 659 on a purple background — (Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #659, are…

YELLOW: CONSUMED ATE, HAD, PUT AWAY, TOOK IN
GREEN: ALSO AS WELL, BESIDES, TO BOOT, TOO
BLUE: ATM OPTIONS BALANCE, DEPOSIT, TRANSFER, WITHDRAWAL
PURPLE: __PLAY FORE, HORSE, SCREEN, WORD

My rating: Easy
My score: Perfect

After my worst ever Connections yesterday I was relieved to return to winning ways, but also experienced that rarest of pleasures (for me at least) of actually getting the purple group.

I wasn’t particularly thinking ATM OPTIONS, more just banking terminology, but I was happy to begin with the blue group – even if this seemed a very easy blue group.

Initially I was thinking the word “silver” was a link for SCREEN and HORSE (I’ve got a vague memory of silver horse being used to describe a motorcycle), before I realized _PLAY was the connecting word.

I should be feeling quite clever, but not seeing the yellow group at all suggests this run was down to luck rather than Connections skill.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, 30 March, game #658)

YELLOW: AVERAGE MEAN, NORM, PAR, STANDARD
GREEN: PICTURED ON THE U.S. GREAT SEAL ARROWS, EAGLE, OLIVE BRANCH, SHIELD
BLUE: PROPER NOUNS IN BROADWAY MUSICAL TITLES THAT ARE SPOKEN
PHRASES BIRDIE, DOLLY, KATE, YANKEES
PURPLE: __MAN BOGEY, CRAFTS, GENTLE, SPOKES

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.