There's no need to be ashamed if you need a helping hand with today's answer, as I, like many others, often struggle with trying to figure out that first category to get you going, but that's why we collate this guide every day, to ensure no one is left in the dark.

We'll start by giving you some hints, in case you want a small helping hand with the answers, followed by the answers if you prefer to skip straight to them.

Hints for today's game

Before we dive right into giving you the specific answers for each of today's different groups if you're instead looking for a small point in the right direction, here are a few hints for what you'll need to be looking for within the answer grid:

• Loop
• Cooking Vessels
• Kinds Of Beds
• Things Called "Oscar"

Using these four themes for today's word lineup will likely make guessing today's answers much easier, but if you're still finding it a little tricky, keep reading.

It's also worth mentioning that if you're looking for more inspiration, check out our 'Connections' archive which provides previous answers that can't be repeated in any future games.

Today's answers

If the hints for today's game have left you feeling none the wiser, worry not! Below, we've got a list of each of the four answers from each round:

• Loop: Band, Circle, Hoop, Ring
• Cooking Vessels: Casserole, Crock, Pan, Pot
• Kinds Of Beds: Bunk, Canopy, Murphy, Sleigh
• Things Called "Oscar": Baloney, Grouch, O, Statuette

There you have it, all the answers for all of today's connections puzzles. As always, we'll update this guide every day to make sure your streak can live on if you're ever struggling with the answers again.

Don't forget as well, there are plenty more word game guides covered here at GGRecon, we also have the NYT's other popular word game, being the Spelling Bee answers. If you want something a little niche though, we also cover the Nerdle answer and Loldle answer.

When does the next Connections game start?

According to the NYT game site, Connections will refresh just after 12 AM, meaning that there's plenty of time throughout the day to fill in and complete your guesses for each round if you need to take a break and come back to it later on.

How to play Connections

All you need to do is head to the game's landing page and press the 'Play' button to get into the guessing. From there, after selecting the four answers you think are most closely related to one another, press 'Submit'.

If your answer is correct, it'll display the theme and highlight the answers in a list before allowing you to select words for the next round. Each of the four groups has its own difficulty too, so you'll know which one you've managed to get out of the way upon completing each one.

These are ranked in the following order, with yellow being the easiest and purple being the most difficult:

• Yellow
• Green
• Blue
• Purple

It's worth noting that each day you are given a total of four mistakes, and these carry across each round within a day. If you fail to guess them before using up your allotted total of mistakes, Connections will display the correct answers for you - which can be useful to learn from and take into the next game.

After you've played Connections a few times, you'll likely start to identify patterns pretty easily, which should help with making your guesses a little faster. If you've found yourself staring at the word grid for so long that all of the words have started to lose meaning, though, I know that feeling all too well, and one thing I always find a lifesaver here is using the 'Shuffle' button, which allows you to refresh the game grid.

It may seem like a simple solution, but shuffling those words around really can help you to see the words with new eyes - it may even help you find that answer a bit quicker! 

So that's everything there is to know about the answers and clues for today's game in Connections from The NYT. Be sure to check back tomorrow (and the next day!) for updated hints to help you in guessing the next word groupings.

For more guides, be sure to check out our word game homepage for plenty of tips and tricks to help you continue your streaks!